Joana Vasconcelos
Learn about the artist's universe through a text accompanied by a selection of works from the exhibition “All I want – Portuguese women artists from 1900 to 2020”
By Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
Text by Lígia Afonso / Plano Nacional das Artes
The work of Joana Vasconcelos plays with stereotypes and clichés, bringing together ostensibly opposing categorisations – popular and erudite, traditional and contemporary, kitsch and classical, public and private, humour and criticism. Confronting such dichotomies often lies at the root of her work.
The Bride (2001/2005) by Joana VasconcelosOriginal Source: Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Elvas – Collection António Cachola
The Bride, 2001-2005
OB tampons, stainless steel, cotton thread, steel cables
600 x ø 300 cm
Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Elvas – Collection António Cachola, inv. 07.E.6
Her sculptures are spectacular, monumental and baroque, expressing exuberant movement, sound, light and colour, sometimes as a cumulative effect. Vasconcelos’ usual practice is to repeatedly juxtapose identical objects to create a new object. The resulting displacement of meaning and the sense of surprise give rise to new narratives and meanings.
Wash and goOriginal Source: Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Elvas – Collection António Cachola
Wash and go, 1998
Tights, iron, crimped wire mesh, motor and timer
150 x 210 x 80 cm
Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Elvas – Collection António Cachola, inv. 07.E.5
Wash and goOriginal Source: Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Elvas – Collection António Cachola
The use of pots, cutlery, mirrors, doilies, tights, gems, flowers and feathers – all everyday objects associated with the feminine sphere amid a culture that is essentially patriarchal – raises questions about dominance, subjugation and the invisibility of gender.
Brush me (1999) by Joana VasconcelosOriginal Source: Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Madeira, Calheta
Brush me, 1999
Chrome iron, wood and brushes
100 x 70 x 40 cm
Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Madeira, Calheta, inv. MACM/JV01ESC
Some of the pieces make reference to popular Portuguese culture, especially the fado singing of Amália Rodrigues, filigree hearts from Viana, the Barcelos cockerel, pottery from Caldas da Rainha and crochetwork from Pico. The artist celebrates the collective imagery of such national symbolism and acknowledges the value of the practices, techniques, materials, traditions and rituals involved.
China cupboard (2019) by Joana VasconcelosOriginal Source: Collection of the Artist
China cupboard, 2019
Felt pen, print, collage on paper
50 x 74 cm
Collection of the Artist, inv. JV01618
Learn more about the artist:
Joana Vasconcelos: From Past to Future | BLOUIN ARTINFO (in English)
The Making of Joana Vasconcelos' "Time Machine" at Manchester Art Gallery (in English)
Joana Vasconcelos au Château Versailles (in French)
Exhibition "Valkyrie Mumbet", Joana Vasconcelos | MassArt Art Museum (in English)
Joana Vasconcelos – Página de Youtube / Youtube Official Page
Selection of works presented at the exhibition All I want: Portuguese women artists from 1900 to 2020, in its first moment at Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon, within the scope of the cultural program that takes place in parallel to the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2021.
Exhibition organized by the Portuguese Ministry of Culture, Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage (DGPC) and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, in co-production with the Center of Contemporary Creation Olivier Debré, Tours, and with the collaboration of the Plano Nacional das Artes (Portugal).
Curators:
Helena de Freitas and Bruno Marchand
Text by Lígia Afonso / Plano Nacional das Artes
Selection of online resources Maria de Brito Matias
Learn more about Joana Vasconcelos's works presented in the context of this exhibition:
All I want: Vernacular Life
