'Enough of this suffering!' Joana Vasconcelos on why she is fed up with women’s art defined by pain
The Portuguese artist is famous for her monumental ceramic wedding cakes and gigantic chandeliers made of tampons. So why is a new show in Lisbon pairing her with Valentino’s size-zero catwalk dresses?
TL;DR
- Joana Vasconcelos uses needlework to create monumental sculptures, bringing domestic details into large-scale art.
- She critiques some female artists for focusing too much on pain, advocating for art that expresses joy and grandeur.
- Her work, like the 'Venus' exhibition, dialogues with fashion, specifically Valentino's designs, highlighting craftsmanship and scale.
- Vasconcelos's large studio employs many people, emphasizing the value of women's labor in her artistic process.
- She aims to liberate women from domestic constraints by showcasing the strength and beauty of skills traditionally confined to the home.