THE LAST BREATH OF THE PRINCE — Diego Zapatero — Self-published — 2026

A new handmade incarnation of Zapatero’s long-term study of Java’s endangered Wayang Topeng tradition. Working with surviving dance communities, he reconstructs scenes from the Panji cycle using deliberately antiquated photographic methods, slow exposures and staged theatrical settings. This second series turns the book itself into an object: sepia-toned photographs are individually mounted on black pages and paired with translucent sheets carrying mask drawings, while archival imagery and cartography connect contemporary performers to the colonial photographic record.

Technical Sheet
Title: The Last Breath of the Prince — Series No. 2
Artist / Author: Diego Zapatero; with Patrick Vanhoebrouck and Narve Rio
Date: 2026
Edition: Numbered edition, copy 6/100
Signed: Yes, signed by Diego Zapatero
Edition size: 100 copies
Medium / Materials: Handmade artist book; cloth-covered hardcover with corner reinforcements; individually mounted photographs on black leaves; translucent illustrated interleaves; archival imagery and cartographic material
Language: English
Publisher: Self-published / Diego Zapatero
Condition: New
Certificate: Signed Certificate of Authenticity, dated 17 September 2026