Paco Pomet’s Franchise Featured in “Barjola, an Apocryphal Portrait” at SOLO Contemporary

Barjola, an apocryphal portrait
March - December, 2025
SOLO Independencia, Madrid

Paco Pomet’s painting Franchise is currently featured in the exhibition “Barjola, an Apocryphal Portrait”, on view at SOLO Independencia in Madrid until the end of the year. Organised by Colección SOLO, the exhibition brings together over 20 contemporary artists to engage with the legacy of Spanish painter Juan Barjola (1919–2004), whose expressionist work explored themes of violence, distortion, and human struggle. The show reexamines Barjola’s influence through a contemporary lens, highlighting its ongoing relevance in today’s visual culture.

Franchise (2024) is a large oil painting that depicts a devastated landscape suggestive of war, with visual references to Picasso’s Guernica. Combining stark realism with surreal distortions—a hallmark of Pomet’s style—the work invites viewers to reflect on how conflict and destruction are remembered and mediated in the present day. Acting as both a response to and an extension of Barjola’s legacy, Franchise bridges historical and contemporary perspectives, challenging viewers to reconsider how images influence our understanding of conflict and memory.

Link: Solo Contemporary