Ecos Geológicos, at the Neo-Realism Museum in Vila Franca de Xira

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DATE

22 Jan 2026

AUTHOR

João Pedro Soares

Ecos Geológicos, at the Neo-Realism Museum in Vila Franca de Xira

AUTHOR

João Pedro Soares

“Ecos Geológicos, an exhibition curated by Sofia Nunes, brings together two distinct generations of artists to explore these questions. In a concise curatorial approach, displayed in a small, contained room, the exhibition presents a collection of works with a unique magnetism, possessed by a centrifugal impulse that compels us to approach and unveil their grammars.”

In 2014, the renowned geologist Jan Zalasiewicz wrote about the concept of technofossils¹, that is, traces and artifacts produced by humans that, because they are mostly made of materials that are rare in nature (such as aluminum, plastic, or titanium), present an impossibility of organic degradation, giving rise to a new geological stratigraphy, now considered technostratigraphy. Given this, considerations can be made about what kind of geological records will be found in the future, what kind of fossils will exist, left as a legacy of the Anthropocene epoch.

Ecos Geológicos, an exhibition curated by Sofia Nunes, brings together two distinct generations of artists to explore these questions. In a concise curatorial approach, displayed in a small, contained room, the exhibition presents a collection of works with a unique magnetism, possessed by a centrifugal impulse that compels us to approach and unveil their grammars.

Joana Escoval presents three works of diverse sculptural character, as they combine natural materials, such as algae and aquatic mollusks, with processed elements, such as concrete, stainless steel, or brass. Of particular note are The world as a passing cloud (2021) and From star to sound (2025): the first places a concrete beam on a wall, its origin seemingly linked to a marine dock, where layers of crustaceans, remains of aquatic creatures, and algae accumulate; two spirals of gold and copper complete the object. The second, consisting of a volcanic rock deposited on the ground, from which a metallic spiral protrudes, presents discreet lichens in its rocky interstices. It is interesting to note the relevance the artist gives to natural factors as compositional aids in the pieces, such as seawater and air. This is not mere whim, for, in fact, oxidations and deposits are observed, marks highlighted by exposure to the elements, which give the sculptural objects an imaginary and speculative history that goes beyond the visual field.

Regarding lichens, those mystical organisms that escape current scientific and taxonomic categorizations, as they exist in a neutral field between the plant, animal, and fungal kingdoms², a poem by Fernando Lanhas is displayed, from which a passage is quoted: "Todo o mundo/ são os líquenes/ e os sonhos; [...]" (The whole world/ is lichens/ and dreams) Following this is a set of fifteen painted pebbles, made by the artist between 1949 and 1999, which brilliantly unify painting and its gestures with geology and its sedimentations. Each pebble has a distinct stroke, usually made with oil paint, that flows along the rocky contours, creating a symbiosis between two domains that at first glance seem opposed. Although, considering that a large part of the pigments have a mineral origin, perhaps they are not so distant after all. This seems to be precisely the conclusion that Lanhas subtly evokes.

Lastly, three paintings by Pedro Henriques follow: large wooden canvases with aluminum metal frames, which occupy the space with hypnotic potential, in abstractions painted with acrylic and ultraviolet-cured ink. Astonishingly, they appear to be laser-painted or made by an industrial machine, but it is the artist's hands that simulate a residual, robotic, futuristic, or post-human touch. In blurs of a black that seems burned and impregnated into the canvas, flashes of purple, yellow, and blue neon appear in the background. In a kind of blue screen or glitch, they give an illusion of multimedia dimensionality to the paintings. Furthermore, small insertions of free strokes, in light or whitish tones, end up creating a surprising contrast that alludes to computing and coding mechanisms.

In short, Ecos Geológicos intelligently and concisely brings together different artistic practices that explore geological dimensions, such as stratification and fossilization, even prompting reflection on future forms of geological records and markings, fostered by the digitalization of the world and the increase in technological waste on a global scale; time will tell.

The exhibition is at the Neo-Realism Museum in Vila Franca de Xira until February 22. Free admission.

¹ Zalasiewicz, Jan & Williams, Mark & Waters, Colin & Barnosky, Anthony & Haff, Peter. (2014). The technofossil record of humans. Anthropocene Review. 1. 34-43.

² On this subject, see the in-depth analysis in the chapter "The intimacy of strangers" by Sheldrake, Merlin. (2020) Entangled Life. Penguin, Random House.

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