Bip Apollo
Bip Apollo | |
|---|---|
| Born | United States |
| Other names | Bip Graffiti, BiP, Believe in People |
| Occupation(s) | Artist (painter and sculptor) |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Known for | Resurgence of street art in North America, large-scale murals and sculptures |
Bip Apollo—also referred to as "Bip Graffiti," "BiP," and "Believe in People"—is an American artist specializing in painting and sculpture, celebrated worldwide for spearheading the resurgence of street art in North America and producing sought-after luxury artworks. He first attracted widespread recognition in 2010 near New Haven, Connecticut, then relocated to the San Francisco region around 2013, subsequently embarking on extensive international travels starting in 2015. His creative operations are based between Monte Carlo, Monaco, and San Francisco.
Practice
Operating on a global scale, Bip Apollo navigates both the luxury art sector and the urban art community as a painter and sculptor. He stresses that his creations go beyond traditional graffiti, aiming to encourage positive interactions with surroundings and to challenge feelings of alienation and doubt.
"My primary drive is to transform how people engage positively with their environments. Even a small smile from a passerby brings immense fulfillment. The ability to convey an idea or emotion … that makes it worthwhile."
His exclusive pieces are acquired by celebrities and elite collectors, which supports his philanthropic public art initiatives.
East Coast Period
In 2011, Bip granted an interview to Kimberly Chow, a 2009 Yale University graduate and former Yale Daily News journalist, while he was working on a mural illustrating the roots of his artistic inspiration. The moniker "Bip," short for "believe in people," originates from a personal manifesto influenced by journals belonging to a childhood friend who had passed away.
Starting in October 2010, Bip’s spray-painted stencil murals began appearing around New Haven, frequently placed without permission on buildings near Yale University. One prominent piece is a large smiling portrait of Anne Frank located outside Partner's Cafe in the Crown Street entertainment district.
Public response was divided: some locals and media praised his work, whereas city officials labeled it as vandalism. Abigail Rider, real estate manager at Yale University, commented:
Following an invitation to create a mural at a lumberyard site, Bip’s identity and artistic intentions became subjects of local media speculation.
West Coast Period
Between 2013 and 2014, Bip made a permanent move to San Francisco, California, where he concentrated on producing expansive murals. In 2015, he completed a seven-story mural in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood depicting a man inspecting his heart through a microscope.
The next year saw him paint a five-story mural in downtown Oakland portraying an elderly man listening to heavy metal music. Continuing to create murals throughout the Bay Area, by 2018 he had become closely associated with the West Coast’s street art renaissance.
His most acclaimed piece is the 2017 "No Ceiling" mural on a five-story building at San Francisco’s Westfield Centre, featuring an exaggeratedly muscular young African-American figure. In 2018, Bip revealed plans for up to ten more murals across various San Francisco locations.
International Touring Period
Beginning in 2015, Bip embarked on extensive global travels for museum exhibitions and public art festivals while maintaining his anonymity. His projects included an eight-story mural for the Museum of Krasnoyarsk in Russia, followed by a South American tour sponsored by Montana Colors Spraypaint, and a four-story mural created for the Museum of Contemporary Art in Taipei, Taiwan.
Throughout this time, Bip consistently donned his distinctive mask as part of his artistic identity.
In a 2017 interview with San Francisco Weekly, he reflected on how his international achievements shaped his development as an emerging artist.
To date, Bip has completed installations across more than 25 countries, all documented on his official website.
Monaco and South of France Era
In 2023, Bip Apollo transferred his creative workspace to Monte Carlo, Monaco, where he concentrated on producing large-scale sculptures and took part in prominent occasions such as The Monaco Yacht Show.