“Bright white light fragmented into intensely saturated colors delivers fever dreams of free femininity. “
Born in Rome, Francesca Protopapa is an Italian artist based in Paris since 2004.
She loves to use the name of her favorite sea monster as a nickname: Pistrice.
Her works display a fresh and modern graphic style, painting in bright colors with Posca markers, silkscreen and digital brushwork.
She has a particular fondness for the drawing of people (especially women), capturing their looks, their attitudes, and getting inspired by their experiences and dreams.
Her creations are influenced by love for ancient and modern art as well as for independent cinema. Alongside her activity for press and publishing, she collaborates with associations committed to social justice or gender equality.
She also works as graphic designer on cultural communication projects and notably founded SQUAME in 2011 to promote young illustrators by publishing and exhibitions. From 2016 she collaborates with the artistic direction of ARF! Festival in Rome.
C l i e n t s
BRANDS / FESTIVALS
Filorga – IT
Fondation L’Oréal – FR
Samsung – FR
UNICEF – FR
Médecins Sans Frontières
La Francaise des jeux – FR
Heineken – FR
Le chocolat des Français – FR
Open House Napoli – IT
Festival des Solidarités – FR
GurYou – IT
Uni-Posca FR
ERCcOMICS – FR
PPPattern – IT
Creative-Cables – IT
Le Palle – IT
Amagat Teatre – SP
MNAC Barcellona – SP
Lago Film Festival – IT
D.A.T.E. fashion sneakers – IT
MI AMI music festival – IT
Be my toys Festival – FR
PUBLISHING / MAGAZINES
Madame Figaro – FR
Elle – IT
Les Echos – FR
Mondadori – IT
De Agostini – IT
Calmann-Lévy – FR
Belfond, Presse de la cité – FR
Newton Compton Editori – IT
Piemme – IT
Le N. Magazine Littéraire – FR
Gala – FR
Jacobin – IT
Avantages Magazine – FR
Psychologie magazine – IT
The Psychologist – UK
Le Particulier – FR
Muze – FR
Overcup Press – US
Octopus Publishing – UK
Racconti Edizioni – IT
Helbling Language – IT
Tunuè edizioni – IT
IdLivre Jeunesse – FR
Sinnos editore – IT
INDIE & ZINE
Squame – FR / IT
Lök Zine – FR / IT
Scomodo – IT
Errratum journal – FR
Inuit – IT
Italianism / Illustri – IT
33T Tapirulan – IT
Effe Magazine – IT
Cadillac Magazine- IT
C&B magazine – IT
Tentacoli edizioni – IT
Popper magazine – Latvian
NurAnt magazine – IT
selected by:
▸ Tall Tree of Paris, book by Matt Wagner / Hellion Gallery – US
▸ Le Eccellenze dell’illustrazione II– Regione Lazio – IT
▸ 50x50x50 the new italian illustration box – Illustri -IT
E x h i b i t i o n s
SOLO shows
2023
Blossom Stories : AECA – American Embassy – Rome
2020
Fauves : Le Scalze – Open House Napoli
2016
Mandragore : SLOW Galerie – Paris
2015
Mujeres : SHObcn Art Gallery – Barcelona
2014
Dangereuses égéries : SLOW Galerie – Paris
2011
Children illustrations : Punto Einaudi – Roma
2010
Bestiario femminile : c.s. Brancaleone – Roma
SELECT GROUP shows
2023
Let’s Go Outside – Inuit – Bologna
2021
Lök Zine / 10 anni – Bologna
2020
À Bicyclette Galerie Glénat – Paris
Rêves Slow Galerie – Paris
2019
The Chicken Brooklyn Show – New York
Tiger Paper – Mexico City
2018
Matite per Riace – Italy
Love YourSELF – Festival ARF! – Roma
Gallerie Summertime , Illustri – Italy
Magari Festival Point Ephémère – Paris
2017
Batman, Oscurità e Luce : Warner Bros – Italy
New Orleans : Champs-Élysées Festival – Paris
2016
Mystiques Mystères : Slow Galerie – Paris
The Tall Tree of Paris : Arts Factory – Paris
Le Chocolat des Français : Sergeant Paper – Paris
2015
Mirrors : Figura-Sfondo – Paris
Cheek to cheek : SLOW Galerie – Paris
33T – Ugo Tognazzi : Tapirulan – Cremona
Italianism / Illustri : OutDoor – Roma
The Big Meal : Chiken&Broccoli + ADI – Milano
Art/ctualié : ArtistikRezo Gallery – Paris
Graphiste : Sacripante Gallery – Roma
2014 – 2008
Faites vos voeux : SLOW Galerie – Paris
NOIR! : Galerie Julien Brugeas – Paris
F E A T U R E S
▸ L’Amletico
▸ Autori di Immagini 22
▸ Marie-Claire Italy
▸ PPPattern: le ragazze del Pistrice
▸ Elita.it / Sensualità a colori
▸ BoumBang
▸ The Chromatic Watch
▸ Le Cool ROMA
▸ Reportage Arf 19
▸ Quasimagraph / A portrait of il Pistrice
▸ Ziguline : Il Kamasutra secondo Squame
▸ Frizzi Frizzi : 10 foto
▸ Picame : Un mostro marino…
▸ IllustrAzione : Chi viene e chi va
▸ Frizzi Frizzi : am il Pistrice
▸ TG3 / Riccardo Corbò : Festival CRACK
▸ Ziguline : italians in Europe
Francesca Protopapa 