The in-demand Argentine breaks down his creative practice over the last two decades after we asked him to create a series of Copa América-inspired flags for our Miami ‘On A Plate’ Creative Soccer Culture Tour party.
Argentine artist Pepe Perretta’s flags have become a common sight at stadiums across the South American country. Among the tifos beloved by the famously passionate Argentinian fans, Perretta’s work symbolises the country’s devotion to the sport. Each of his flags shows his distinctive style, using paint and airbrushing to create huge celebrations of each club, player and, most importantly, their fans.
This style can be traced back more than two decades when Perretta took a course to paint his motorcycle. He didn’t know then that this would lead to working with 167 teams from 29 countries. It all started, though, with a commission from some Boca Juniors fans. Since then, Perretta’s work has been commissioned by fans and rivals worldwide, including his beloved Nueva Chicago and the Argentinian national team.
For his latest commission, Perretta worked with SoccerBible for the latest instalment of our “On A Plate” Creative Soccer Culture Tour in Miami. Marking the end of Copa América, Perretta’s flags for the event drew on South America’s rich footballing culture, paying tribute to the adidas federations involved. For a proud Argentine, though, there is only one focus: the country’s journey to the 2024 final and, after the event, their 16th title.
These tifos included a tribute to the Los Cafetaros of the Colombia team, and a Hecho en Mexico flag complete with the country’s tricolor. For Argentina, there was a superhero-style celebration of Lionel Messi as “Capitan America” to remind onlookers of his GOAT status and the country’s 2022 World Cup glory. The flags’ airbrushed style and signature sparkle motifs help them stand out and make them immediately recognisable as Perretta’s work.
Below, SoccerBible speaks to Perretta to learn more about his creative practice, and the football-inspired artwork he’s been making for the last two decades.
How did you start making tifos?
Pepe Perretta: “The first fans that contacted me to make a big tifo were Boca Juniors fans called La Doce, or Player Number 12. It was a very big challenge since I had never painted in those dimensions. They asked me if I was up for it and I said yes but I had never painted one. I didn’t have that much experience so I made mistakes. I spilled paint on the fabric, and they got angry.
“But I convinced them to let me solve it. That was where my famous shines or sparkles were born, from the way I covered up the spilled paint. Thanks to that mistake, fans from other clubs asked me to make tifos with those shines. No one else made them at that time, since most tifos were only painted with a brush, not blowtorches and airbrushes. It’s become a registered mark and it was born from an error.”
You've worked with different fan groups in Argentina, what has that experience been like?
Pepe Perretta: “Working with the fans in Argentina is unique, they trust that I will be able to convey their feeling and passion onto a canvas. The best thing that happens to me at my job is seeing the premiere of a tifo inside a stadium, seeing a curtain that covers an entire stadium stand is unique. And even more so if I see the excited fans around me crying or hugging. It is something that no artist can believe in the moment, seeing 50,000, 60,000 or 70,000 people see one of my works at the same time. No artist can have that privilege. I always say that as an artist, my galleries are the stadiums.”
What about your own club? Have they inspired your tifos and your art?
Pepe Perretta: “I support Club Atlético Nueva Chicago, who have played in the second division of Argentina soccer for most of its years. It is a very passionate club, with deep roots in its neighbourhood and people. Making the tifos and flags for my beloved club was something that I couldn't even imagine in my wildest dreams.
“Today 80 per cent of my club's flags are made by me. Being able to live that is unique because I know that I left a legacy. I was able to write pages of the book of my beloved club and tomorrow I will remain in the history of Nueva Chicago with my art. It’s a personal pride that will be left to my grandchildren one day. That, for a fan, is glory.”
Is there a particular moment that means the most to you?
“There are many. Being able to make a tifo for my father's club, River Plate, is one. My father didn’t [agree] with my profession at the beginning, so it was very special. It was a gift for my father to see it in front of 80,000 fans and he was more excited about the tifo than I was. That night he hugged me and I felt like all 80,000 fans were hugging me. It was the first time I saw my father cry and tell me how proud he was of me and my work.
“Other moments include painting the Nueva Chicago tifo with my daughter, being able to give Maradona a flag with the image of him and his mother, or meeting players such as Kun Aguero, Riquelme, Francescoli, Palermo and Bochini. Another unique moment was painting for the Fiorentina team in Italy which premiered in the Plaza del Duomo in Florence. My work has given me so many unique moments and I am grateful to life for my gift.
“One of the most important moments was when the Godoy Cruz fans hired me to make a tifo for the Argentine national team with the faces of Maradona, the Pope and Messi. Since I started, I’ve compared my career to a player’s. I’ve dreamed of painting the great teams like a player dreams of playing for the great teams. Later, I dreamed of reaching Europe with my art and I achieved it. Every player dreams of reaching his national team. I needed to paint a tifo of the Argentine national team, and I achieved it. Today, after 21 years of painting tifos, I can say that I no longer dream of anything.”
How would you describe your approach to creating tifos and flags?
Pepe Perretta: “The club or the colors do not matter, only the passion of the fan who entrusts me with the job. Each job for me is unique. Each tifo is a child for me. I build it, I paint it, and I create it. I see it born when it is unfolding in a stadium. That’s why I say they are not tifos, they are sacred clothes for every fan.”
Tifos are such a big part of football now, why do you think that is?
Pepe Perretta: “The tifos are sacred moments for fans where they show their passion and support for their club. The players win on the playing field but the fan wins on the stands with their love for the club. Tifos and flags are one of the ways to show your love.”
What’s your advice for people who want to create their own tifos or football-inspired art?
Pepe Perretta: “Whenever you can pour your passion and feelings into fabric, the technique and quality don't matter. It only matters that they paint it with their heart. If we’re talking about the technical part of a tifo or flag, always try to ensure that everything is in harmony. Always think about the most important thing that you want to highlight.”
Argentina is known for its football passion, how has that influenced your work?
Pepe Perretta: “The Argentina fan is especially passionate. Before a Classico, he can’t sleep for a week. If his team lose, he doesn’t eat. On the day of the game, he’ll get up at 6am, even if the game is at 8pm. Football is a lifestyle, it’s taken to the extreme. To go to a World Cup, fans sell their cars and motorcycles, and take out loans. This means that doing work in Argentina is simple for me because all fans want to show their passion on a flag. Around 100 flags we paint for each World Cup are displayed in each stadium Argentina plays in.”
What do you have coming up over the next year? What are your goals and upcoming projects we should pay attention to?
Pepe Perretta: “One project is to open a branch in the USA because I want to be established for the next World Cup in 2026. One of my dreams is to make a tifo that covers part of the Inter Miami stadium and we’ve already painted many small flags for Inter fans. I hope I can achieve it as a thank you to our idol, Messi.”
BTS Photography courtesy of Pepe Perretta
Event Photography Seba
