Riccardo Colombo (1977, Turin) is a multidisciplinary artist who lives and works in Pinerolo (Turin) a few km from the beloved Alps.
His research veers between abstract, geometric, and realistic painting, exploring the possibilities within lines, angles, and polygons.
For his canvas and mural works, he sketches with graphite and then adopts design software, integrating his practice with technology. Once the project is finalised, he applies colours using acrylics and enamels.
Colombo delves into the analysis of forms and geometries, assembling and disassembling them within the pictorial space. His approach to synthesising these elements into simple yet strikingly colourful configurations is also evident in large mural surfaces. These works are created in urban spaces with the intention of establishing a dialogue between inhabitants, architecture, and visual art. He refers to this process as Urbanrestyling. The planning of these public art interventions involves a multivocal interaction among the artist, architects, and residents – who are not only observers but become co-authors.
To bridge the gap between author, artwork, and audience, Colombo fosters co-authorship in Open Canvas. He oversees the design, the material selection, and the production stages, ensuring that the collaborative works resonate with the participants’ expressive needs. The result is usually a large-scale intervention completed within a short time span, with enjoyment and a shared artistic vision at its core.
The openness to multiple interpretations and the interest in collective practices is also evident in Cromoblock, a participatory and lasting project Colombo has been dedicated to since 2018. It involves assembling pieces to explore how design objects interact with their use through the act of play. The artist creates a series of works where geometric designs emerge from the arrangement of colourful tiles on a support. The use of enamels evokes the aesthetics of automotive and industrial design. Becoming part of the project, the audience is then invited to activate the modular work by moving the blocks to suggest new compositional forms.
Colombo has recently been commissioned iterations of Urbanrestyling for the municipality of Oslo, the city of Alessandria, and Sky Arte. Solo exhibitions include Dis-Play, 2023, Novalis Gallery, Hong Kong; Overlooking, 2023, Ottofinestre, Turin; Best Friends, 2023, Forte di Exilles, Turin; Cromoblock, 2022, Graphics Days, Palazzo del Pingone, Turin; Cromoblock Augmented Reality, 2021, Vera Cannevazzi, Milan. He has also presented his works in group exhibitions such as This is Not a Zoo, 2022, Natural History Museum, Tenerife.