Francesc Ruiz graduated in Fine Arts from the University of Barcelona. From an early age, he took an interest in reading and collected comic books, and that is precisely the medium in which he has done most of his work since the 1990s. He uses the language of comics to develop alternative discourses in regard to the social, geopolitical and historical contexts in which his work is exhibited, often in urban settings. He uses, alters and expands his form of expression (with each panel seen as a unit of meaning), his supports (the comic-book itself) and the places where comics are produced and distributed (newsagents' kiosks and comic-book stores) via large-format drawings, installations, performances and workshops. He raises the profile of alternative groups, spaces of exclusion and leisure-time subcultures; he denounces mechanisms and areas where power is abused, e.g., in his work concerned with the rampant consumerism of today's society.
He took part in the Venice Biennale in 2015 and the Gothenburg Biennial in Sweden in 2017. Since the late 1990s his work has been shown in solo exhibitions at major venues such as the Joan Miró Foundation (Barcelona, 2004), the CRAC Occitanie (Sète, France, 2005), the Museo Reina Sofía, the Monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos (Burgos, 2008), the Gasworks (London, 2010), the Valencia Institute of Modern Art (Valencia, 2015); and in joint exhibitions at high-profile international venues such as the Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles, USA, 2008), the Temple Gallery (Philadelphia, USA, 2010) and the Weserburg Museum (Bremen, Germany, 2013).
Francesc Ruiz graduated in Fine Arts from the University of Barcelona. From an early age, he took an interest in reading and collected comic books, and that is precisely the medium in which he has done most of his work since the 1990s. He uses the language of comics to develop alternative discourses in regard to the social, geopolitical and historical contexts in which his work is exhibited, often in urban settings. He uses, alters and expands his form of expression (with each panel seen as a unit of meaning), his supports (the comic-book itself) and the places where comics are produced and distributed (newsagents' kiosks and comic-book stores) via large-format drawings, installations, performances and workshops. He raises the profile of alternative groups, spaces of exclusion and leisure-time subcultures; he denounces mechanisms and areas where power is abused, e.g., in his work concerned with the rampant consumerism of today's society.
He took part in the Venice Biennale in 2015 and the Gothenburg Biennial in Sweden in 2017. Since the late 1990s his work has been shown in solo exhibitions at major venues such as the Joan Miró Foundation (Barcelona, 2004), the CRAC Occitanie (Sète, France, 2005), the Museo Reina Sofía, the Monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos (Burgos, 2008), the Gasworks (London, 2010), the Valencia Institute of Modern Art (Valencia, 2015); and in joint exhibitions at high-profile international venues such as the Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles, USA, 2008), the Temple Gallery (Philadelphia, USA, 2010) and the Weserburg Museum (Bremen, Germany, 2013).