16/06/2026
We are delighted to unveil 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘮𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘮 by Francisco Tropa for Art Basel Exclusive 💡
📍 Visit us at Booth R10
Projected light has been incorporated in sculptures and installations from the beginning of Francisco Tropa’s career. Often described as « Lanterns », many of the works include elaborate and precisely crafted devices that project a transparent or translucent object onto a wall, screen, or sculpture. The beam of light creates a dynamic circuit. Viewers are drawn both to the illuminated image and back to the visible mechanism of its creation. As in early projectors called magic lanterns, a single lens inverts the image of the object in front of the light source. The projections are created directly from natural objects rather than slides or film - a leaf, a drop of water, a slice of stone. This series draw on shadow theatre, the allegory of the cave, and early cinematic devices.
Sculpture lies at the core of Francisco Tropa’s practice. Since the early 1990s, his work has received sustained international recognition from institutions and critics, notably in 2011, when he represented Portugal at the Venice Biennale. Bringing together sculpture, drawing, performance, photography, and film, Tropa’s work engages with diverse sculptural traditions while exploring recurring themes such as the body, death, nature, landscape, memory, origin, and time. These concerns unfold through a dense network of references to art history, literature, cinema, and the artist’s own previous works.
Caption:
Francisco Tropa, Lantern with clock mechanism, 2025, bronze, brass, electrical devices, optical devices, clock mechanism, screen, 50 x 50 x 40 cm, Photos by Julien Grémaud
