At a glance
Abandoned machinery and industrial ruins serve as the backdrop for Francesc Torres’s meditation on why the optimistic promises of the 20th century failed to arrive.
Meet the artist
Why go
It offers a rare opportunity to see new installations by a pioneer of conceptual art in an intimate setting that connects global political history with the physical decay of objects.
You'll see
Multimedia installations · Archival photographs · Industrial relics · Conceptual drawings · Found objects
Pace of visit
The exhibition requires a slower pace to absorb the layered historical references and the detailed archival materials integrated into the installations.
Don't miss
The series of photographic interventions showing abandoned Soviet military sites, which highlight the exhibition's themes of ideological obsolescence and physical ruin.
Artlovers Tip
Visit during the late afternoon to see how the natural light in the gallery space interacts with the textured, weathered surfaces of the industrial installations.
Inside the exhibition
El futur ja no és el que era brings the conceptual depth of Francesc Torres to SELTZ by Ritter Ferrer in Barcelona, Spain. The exhibition investigates the gap between historical expectations and contemporary reality, using the artist’s characteristic blend of political inquiry and visual poetry to question what remains of past utopias. Admission to the gallery space is free.
The presentation features a curated selection of installations and archival interventions. Visitors encounter a landscape of industrial remains and photographic records that trace the obsolescence of technology and ideology alike. Torres uses these physical fragments to build a narrative around the future that was promised during the Cold War and the subsequent industrial age, now viewed through a lens of entropy.
Seeing these works in the concentrated space of SELTZ highlights Torres's ability to turn grand political themes into visceral, tactile experiences. By juxtaposing forgotten history with the immediate presence of weathered materials, the show challenges the viewer to reconsider their own place in a timeline of inevitable social and physical decay.
Worth travelling for?
A thoughtful, visually stark encounter for visitors interested in how historical memory is physically stored in ruins and industrial leftovers.
Experience as an Artlover
The gallery is located in the Santa Caterina neighborhood; check the venue website for seasonal opening hours as they may vary during the autumn months.
The future is no longer what it was
Admission
Artlovers relevance
Plan your visit
Hours & rating from Google
