Joana Vasconcelos
Portugal
Born in 1971, Joana Vasconcelos is a Portuguese artist with a career spanning some 30 years and a wide variety of techniques. Known for her monumental sculptures and immersive installations, she decontextualises everyday objects and updates the concept of craft for the 21st century. In doing so, she creates a dialogue between the private and public spheres, popular heritage and high culture. With humour and irony, she questions the status of women, consumer society and collective identity.
Her work has been exhibited on four continents at Palazzo Grassi, Thyssen-Bornemisza, Royal Academy of Arts, Manchester Art Gallery, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Kunsthal Rotterdam, CCBB and Pinacoteca de São Paulo, Istanbul Modern, Garage Center for Contemporary Culture in Moscow, Le Centquatre and La Monnaie Paris, Palais de Tokyo and Hermitage; and are part of collections such as the Tia Collection, Ömer Koç, CCB/Berardo and those of the Rothschild, Calouste Gulbenkian, PLMJ, François Pinault and Louis Vuitton foundations.
The recipient of more than 30 awards, she was made Commander of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator by the Portuguese Presidency in 2009 and Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture in 2022. From Lisbon to the world, since 2006 she has directed the Joana Vasconcelos Atelier, which employs more than 50 people, and in 2012 she created the Joana Vasconcelos Foundation to award scholarships, support social causes and promote art for all.
Her work has been exhibited on four continents at Palazzo Grassi, Thyssen-Bornemisza, Royal Academy of Arts, Manchester Art Gallery, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Kunsthal Rotterdam, CCBB and Pinacoteca de São Paulo, Istanbul Modern, Garage Center for Contemporary Culture in Moscow, Le Centquatre and La Monnaie Paris, Palais de Tokyo and Hermitage; and are part of collections such as the Tia Collection, Ömer Koç, CCB/Berardo and those of the Rothschild, Calouste Gulbenkian, PLMJ, François Pinault and Louis Vuitton foundations.
The recipient of more than 30 awards, she was made Commander of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator by the Portuguese Presidency in 2009 and Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture in 2022. From Lisbon to the world, since 2006 she has directed the Joana Vasconcelos Atelier, which employs more than 50 people, and in 2012 she created the Joana Vasconcelos Foundation to award scholarships, support social causes and promote art for all.
