Explore the works of Joana Vasconcelos in an outdoor exhibition

Kuba Lecki
·1-min read
Photo credit: Jonty Wilde, Courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture
Photo credit: Jonty Wilde, Courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture

From Town & Country

Although all indoor galleries are temporarily closed in line with government guidelines, sculptures in open air remain proudly on display, including six magnificent works by the Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

With influences including Marcel Duchamp and Louise Bourgeois, Vasconcelos creates monumental sculptures from mundane quotidian objects, combining needlework, fabric and crochet to comment on cultural tradition, collective identity and woman’s role in society.

Photo credit: Jonty Wilde, Courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture
Photo credit: Jonty Wilde, Courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture

A cluster of decorative mirrors are transformed into a dramatic mask titled I’ll Be Your Mirror; Pop Galo sees a vibrant rooster shaped from tiles and LED lights; and in Solitário (Solitaire), golden wheel rims and drinking glasses create a ‘diamond’ ring.

Photo credit: Jonty Wilde, Courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Photo credit: Jonty Wilde, Courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Of her work, Vasconcelos has said: “You can have something really kitsch or ugly and you can transform it, and it can become really beautiful and important.”

Photo credit: Jonty Wilde, Courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Photo credit: Jonty Wilde, Courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Her artworks have previously been exhibited at Versailles and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. This exhibition coincidences with a new commission at Waddesdon Manor called Wedding Cake, which will eventually be displayed in the redesigned Rose Garden.

‘Joana Vasconcelos: Beyond’ is at Yorkshire Sculpture Park until January 2022.

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