Francisco Tropa

Born in: 1968
From: Lisbon, Portugal
Lives and works: Lisbon, Portugal
Represented by: Galerie Jocelyn Wolff
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Tropa

UN goals

Biography

Francisco Tropa is the equivalent of a contemporary alchemist, working with a set of materials that go from broken glass, sand, marble and wood to found objects. By mixing different elements together he creates a cocktail of assemblages challenging the very nature of sculpture. Disciplines such as archaeology, geometry, architecture, photography and painting are to be found in his work, bestowing it with different layers of comprehension. Tropa’s work is process based, which means that he works on a project over several years, thus highlighting time’s importance in his oeuvre.

The passage of time is one of Tropa’s recurrent themes, and as he works with hourglasses or droplets of water we are referred to life’s transitory nature and its constant movement. Kinetic art reverberates with the artist’s work, the two incorporating electricity and fully embracing accidents.

Tropa fuses different elements together, crafting works that escape definitions, sharing similarities with Raoul Hausmann’s assemblages, particularly with his Mechanical Head made of wood and found materials.

Career highlights

Solo shows

2023, Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris, France: Le Poumon et le coeur
2020, MUCEM, Marseille, France: Behind Us - “Excavating Contemporary Archaeology”,
2015, Pavilhão Branco, Museu de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal: TSAE
2013, La Verrière, Fondation d’Entreprise Hermès, Brussels, Belgium: Trésors Submergés de l’Ancienne Egypte
2011, Pavilhão de Portugal, La Biennale di Venezia, 54 Exposizione Internationale d’Arte, Venice, Italy: Scenario