Artist Statement
An Interview with the artist Theodor di Ricco
Berlin 2026
About Visual Art
Louis von Reich: The first question. The obvious one. Why Yellow? Why have you chosen this color?
Theodor di Ricco: I use the color yellow to convey an art concept which I have developed into an art, quasi-political manifest´ entitled by its acronym A.C.N.E.
L. v. Reich: So yellow is the color of Anti-Constructivist, Neo-Errorism. Did I get that right?
T. di Ricco: Correct.
L. v. Reich: And what is the concept behind A.C.N.E.?
T. di Ricco: Over a hundred years ago the Russian constructivist of the newly formed Soviet State created an iconography to interpret the goals of the revolution. Basic geometric and color forms were used to propagate this goals. Circa 50 years later, an opposing concept of Deconstruction developed.. According to Jacques ‚Derrida a french thinker of the 20th century, deconstruction emerged out of the poststructuralist tradition of literary theory, which, in opposition to structuralism, stressed the slippage and fluctuation of meaning that is always at work in the process of linguistic and cultural signification. Another 50 years later, the A.C.N.E. artist applies this to their work by blending and diffusing the fixed customs, stringent traditions and morals of any society with little or no regard to their original meaning, thus making a conscious error. Unlike the Edge-Lords who are nihilistic and lack empathy, the A.C.N.E artist is romantic and strives for a more equatable society.
L. v. Reich: Can you give me an example of A.C.N.E
T. di Ricco: We can start with the traffic light. Crossing a traffic light when the signal is read can upset some of the natives depending on where you are. For the A.C.N.E. artist, it is people over cars. Moving to a broader example, the queer community which structured itself as all-inclusive and wound up becoming exclusive. They redesigned their flag and agenda, got rid of the rainbow colors which is universal and wound up plastering their name with every sexual identity until it became saturated and unpronounceable; L.G.B.T.Q + A.B.C. It shows that when a society reaches a certain level of prosperity, they turn on themselves. Looking for ever bigger and better ways to improve. We have recently lived through Woke 1.0 which ignored the obvious. That social and economic inequality, racism, sexism and fascism still exists and by dividing their identity the conquered themselves. .
L. v. Reich: Before getting too political, where does yellow fit in?
T. di Ricco: Yellow evokes many feelings, many of them positive. J.W.Goethe wrote; "We find from experience that yellow excites a warm and agreeable impression.... The eye is gladdened, the heart expanded and cheered, a glow seems at once to breathe toward us." For me, yellow is the color of happiness. The light one sees from the sun is in the yellow spectrum. The cones and rods receptors in the human eye interpret three colors; red, blue and green. Yellow is therefore interpreted by the brain through the green cone receptor. Since yellow is omnipresent, it is not seen, it is. Similar to the pursuit of happiness which is an omnipresent common denominator for all humans.
L. v. Reich I have noticed in your art work, that there is symbol of a tree, if I may call it that, that you have repeated throughout the years. Where did that come from.
T. di Ricco: Out of what is missing.
L. v. Reich: And what is that?
T. di Ricco: An international symbol for happiness. I chose the geometrical forms of a triangle point up and a square below. These forms can be intercepted as a tree, an arrow or as the two-dimensional pyramid. In our present iconology, there are universal symbols for love and peace yet none for happiness, except maybe the happy face, which It think in inappropriate. Happiness is not about smiling, it is about having security and stability. I thought it was time for an artist to come up with the appropriate icon, so I did. The tree provides shelter, the arrow points to the way out or in, and the pyramid is a symbol of longevity.
L. v. Reich: Why did you choose to become an artist?
T. di Ricco: I have always done art, ever since I could remember. I used to wonder when artists would say that. Now I know what they mean. We are all artists in the infrastructure of a society. The difference is that i have chosen to live as an visual artist and make it my profession.
L. v. Reich: Then, why have you chosen this profession?
T. di Ricco: It represented for me a challenge worth learning. I grew up being manipulated by a rigid set of beliefs. There is tremendous pressure to conform. I figured out early on that there were alternatives. I went searching and I gravitated towards like minded people. Those tended to be the sages, shamans, freaks and artists. It was nice to know that I was not the only one who had doubts about the status quo and the so-called free world. Once I broke away, there was no going back.
L.v. Reich: In your body of work, I see influences of Minimalism, Fluxus and Pop Art.
T. di Ricco: This is what I was learning at art school and that was the consciousness at the time. Yeah, I like the simplicity of geometric forms, I enjoy finding objects and giving them a new meaning and I am fascinated how advertising is used to manipulate a potential buyer. I love color and form in their purity. it is why II refrain from painting figurative. I wanted to remain as close to the abstract as possible. Besides, painting is dead.
L.v. Reich: You still believe that?
T. de Ricco: Not really. However, as soon as that television screen was mounted on the wall, another nail was put into its coffin. I am a firm believer that performance art is the art form of the 21st century. We are free to view what we want because we have a 'painting' that now moves and a remote that can control it It is the means and the ways for the performance artist to fill that space
L. v. Reich: We’ll talk about performance art later. Before that, I’d like to ask you: how do you view the art market?
T. di Ricco: The alternative life style represented by the artist is tolerated and respected to a certain degree. If the quality of life within the society at a whole diminishes, some within will seek alternatives. The artist, in particular, acts as a resource for these alternatives. However, for this privilege, the artist is placed into the community's focus and must manipulate each side in order to remain respected and alive. Some current examples are Isa Gensken, Louise Bourgeois, YahoI Kusama. So is the art market.
L. v. Reich: There is certainly more than that to the art world.
T. di Ricco: Yeah, there is and that is why I find the art world so intriguing and opaque.. It is also about attaching value. There are many factors that can influence this. Unfortunately, quality is not the first one on the list. In short, It helps to have connections to increase the value. Now, you've got me started. Let us not forget the art academy. It is here that the artist, gallery owner, collector the historian meet with the art professor. It is a closed self-perpetuating system. Later, they will feed on each other and profit from their mutual degrees of intimacy.
L. v. Reich: You went to art school. So why do you not have those connections.
T. di Ricco: I went to the art school of life. I studied art, saturated myself with museum visits, lived with artists, organized art events. I wrote a book entitled ‚Sick Sacraments’ which I consider my doctorate art thesis. I am an Outsider Artist not because I want to be, but because I exist as an artist outside the academy. It is an extra hurdle because I wanted to do it my way.
L. v. Reich: How do you see yourself as a pop artist?
T. di Ricco: The pop artist is in some degrees an opportunist. I use elements of pop in order to increase the value of my art work. In the world of commerce, one has got to get people talking. I myself have a few gimmicks. I know people are anal. They love to collect. People have this need to identify degrees of intimacy between themselves and the world. Processing or sharing a common element makes them feel closer. I apply this definition to the Art Cards that I make. I have been doing small works on paper or collages, postcard size, for four decades. I create them as a series. I save my personal best and sell or share the rest. Art for the masses that they can collect, similar to the phenomenon of Pokemon or Panini trading cards.
L. v .d. Reich: You claim you have sold more works than Picasso.
T. di Ricco: I have. The circa 10,000 works are documented on my Google Blogspot site. Everyone who purchases an Art Card becomes a collector of which there are over 550.
L. v .d. Reich: How did that get started created your Art Cards?
T. di Ricco: It started in Paris where I was studying art for four years before moving to Berlin in 1985. I wanted to send something personal other than always writing a letter to friends and family. I started making my own postcards or Art Cards. Out of which, has developed a work process in which I create a series, eventually to collect in its entirety. I think that is a cleaver gimmick.
About Writing
L. v Reich: You do a lot of writing?
T. di Ricco: Writing is an incredible media. I often write in the narrative form to help me process the injustices that affect me. Drama in one’s life is better than Netflix or Disney.. Except when you are living through it. A few of my stories created a scandal because, typical to the concept of A.C.N.E., I did not change the names of my protagonists.
About Performance Art
L. v. Reich; Let’s talk about your other artistic endeavors. You are also a performance art. I have been told that you have been wearing yellow clothing for decades as a continuous performance art piece.
T. di Ricco: I started wearing yellow in 1991. I was exhibiting a spoken word performance art piece, announcing to the listening public that yellow was the color of the 1990’s. If I was going to preach it, then I thought I should be it. Yellow has become my icon as an artist for which I am internationally known. I also want to first interject that performance art is the act of making art at the moment and by placing myself in the routine of daily life; dressed in yellow in the metro, at an art opening, viewed from above crossing a plaza. I confront people with my appearance. Some do take notice and even fewer ask why. Furthermore, by wearing yellow clothing consistently for over thirty years, those who know me or about me, my yellowness becomes that common point of reference amongst them. When they see yellow, they think of me. As I said before, people need to identify the degrees of intimacy between themselves.. Processing or sharing a common element makes people feel closer and when it comes down to it ... that IS my art.
L. v. Reich: So there is no particular deeper reason why you chose yellow?
T. di Ricco: No. Although all decisions are political, I choose yellow not because it signifies for me a religious, philosophical concept or sexual praxis. I choose it for its aesthetic significations and by dressing in yellow and placing myself in an environment, I become the yellow brush stroke in the visual flow of life. To this day, my research into yellow is letting others tell me what the color evokes for them. When it comes down to it, You can take the man out of California but you cannot take the California out of the man. Berlin is grey and by choosing yellow it helps lighten up my spirits and those around me. Plus I must admit, there are a whole group of positive benefits in wearing yellow which I did not think about when I started to dress monochrome.
L. v. Reich: For example?
T. di Ricco: I stopped shopping for clothes. People are constantly giving me that one freaky yellow thing that they bought and seldom wore. Lots of shirts and occasionally some pants. Yellow shoes are the hardest part. I have to buy them. It also makes my life easier. I do not have to worry about colors running in the wash and I don't have to think much about mixing and matching styles. If I have to choose a color, I take the yellow toothbrush. Finally, I am never lost in a crowd.
L. v. Reich: You are surely not the only one.
T. di Ricco No, but we are rare. I am the one who declared my color choice as a performance art piece. However, there are three Berlin artists who dress monochrome; Amy Klement wears green,, Alain Jadot is in white, and christA Frontzeck in red.
L. v. Reich: You use GoGo Sunshine as your alias in some of your work. Where does that come from?
T. di Ricco: I was first baptized Homo Sunshine by a lesbian. I later changed it to GoGo Sunshine because I tell everyone that I am a professional Go-Go dancer, albeit the oldest. As I see it, Go-Go dancers animate a crowd. They are there to work the party. That is how I see a portion of the work I do as an artist. I am here to work the party. to celebrate gallery culture, I organize art events and dress in yellow. I dance around, enjoy communicating with intelligent people, networking and connecting. Not that much different from the work of a GoGo dancer. A go-go dancer receives little recognition, yet is nonetheless a valuable member of society. They are the match makers, the socialites. the DJs, for example
L. V. Reich: How do you resumé what you have accomplished as a performance artist?
T. di Ricco: I see my performance art work as traces within the zeitgeist. When I review my body of work, I understand why it was necessary to create the work at the time. I understand the thread that weaves through every performance art piece that I have exhibited. As with every action, it has a political, spiritual and an aesthetic statement. For me it is clear that when I use the action and call it art, that the message should be relevant and the experience noteworthy.. The need to communicate information to people on how to survive through art is the purpose of the performance artist.
L. v. Reich: We’ve haven’t mentioned Gallery SoToDo. Why did you start this organization?
T. di Ricco: Gallery SoToDo is my service to society. If you want something done, you got to do it yourself. So, To Do. It was my answer to the lack of creative contemporary stimulus in the city of Sacramento where I was raised. But I certainly was not the first. Artists have always banded together to express an alternative consciousness, they are romantic not knowing how or whether their ideas and actions might later justify their means. As they progress, their collective consciousness is later institutionalized by their own justification. Happenings, Action-Art and Fluxus are contemporary example of performance art.
L. v. Reich: How has Gallery SoToDo evolved?
T. di Ricco: I started SoToDo as a organization to promote contemporary art. Instead of playing god, I invited all. The invitation process is organic. From the initial group of artists, they were invited again and or, they could invite someone else. There were 36 events over 30 years with the participation of over 500 international artists. Gallery SoToDo, became a benchmark for organizing and exhibiting performance art.
L. v. Reich: How?
T. di Ricco: I did this by inviting the artist at least nine months in advance. This gave them time to acquire funding because they are responsible for their travels costs. Participation is done on a first come, first serve basis. In order to intensify the contacts, I place the visiting artists privately with local artists and make sure that we all dine together at least twice a day. I also promise to deliver documentation of the congress in the form of a catalog or video. In reality, there has been no real money in performance art. It is a labor of love. I also realized that I was organizing a congress because exhibiting performance art is not a festival event.
L. v. Reich: Through your experience how do you define performance art?
T. di Ricco Performance art has existed since the dawn of civilization. Human beings learned to be social in order to survive. Performance art is used to communicate lessons learned or deeds accomplished. Performance Art is defined by the elements of time, space, variability and the zeitgeist. Performance art communicates a message honesty and with authenticity. Performance art is the act of making art at the moment.
L. v. Reich How do you view performance art in what you do?
T. di Ricco Performance art is declared by the artist who exhibits it and understood by the observer who experiences it. It does not have a beginning or an end. It happens. In my case, the act of wearing yellow clothing fulfills this definition.
L. v. Reich: What is the evolution of performance art?
T. di Ricco: Everybody is allowed to make art but few dare. In short, in every society, there are fools, shamans, sages and artists who have set themselves apart by accepting an alternative lifestyle. These persons act as a pressure valve within a society by expressing concepts and ideas that balance the spectrum of society's consciousness, actions and deeds. In the artists' case, they set an example for how to live through making art. This political structure has created a situation where many in society are content to follow, albeit mechanical and are freed from the responsibility of how to make art or live for themselves. It also demonstrates a collective discipline on the part of the artist and the public in order to prevent a state in which everyone is living (making art) for themselves, in short, a state of anarchy.
L. v. Reich: Every artist will ask themselves at some time or another why make art. What is your answer?
T. di Ricco: I have done this long enough to know. It is through the body of work which I have created, the experiences and contacts I have had throughout my career that have cleared up any doubts as to why I have chosen this profession. When it comes down to it, the simple truth is, a life well lived is the best revenge.
L.v. Reich: Well, with that thought. I thank-you very much for theis informative interview. Go Go-Go, go!
T. di Ricco: It was my pleasure.