Named for the Spanish phrase meaning “come into the light”, Ven a la Luz explores the place of people within nature. Made for the ArtWithMe festival in Tulum, Mexico, the work reflects on the coastline’s fragile ecosystem. This raises the wider issue of our connection to, and conservation of, the natural world.

In Ven a la Luz, viewers can see a recurring motif in Popper’s practice: a figure opening their chest to reveal their interior form. “This gesture of openness,” the artist writes, “symbolises our deep connection with nature and ourselves.”

Reprised in two later sculptures – Thrive (2020) and Hallow (2021) – the motif of the open-hearted woman pairs the artist’s interest with figures of mythology and psychology. By stepping through the figure’s form, the viewer will, the artist hopes, step into a deeper understanding of their place in the natural world. Of the three sculptures that share this pose, Ven a la Luz is the most intricately embellished, with a structure made from steel, wood and natural fibres, decorated with twisting patterns of rope.

The portal symbolizes our deep connection with Nature and ourselves.