Joana Vasconcelos is a Portuguese artist known for her large-scale installations. She was born in Paris in 1971 and currently lives and works in Lisbon. Aside for her installations she has also created a series of wrapped animals blanketed with delicate patterns of handmade cotton crochet and lace. And as the artist says “are ambiguously imprisoned/protected by a second-skin in crochet-work.” She has exhibited regularly since the mid-1990s. In 2012 she was the first female artist to have an exhibit at the Chateau de Versailles. On an interview with Wallpaper she says this about artists who influenced her:
“I am influenced by any artist that transforms my way of looking at the world. It doesn’t matter if you like it or not, it’s how it affects you and how it will rock your world. That’s what artists do, they give you a perspective, by writing a book, singing a song, by dancing, they create a window so others can look at the world from a different angle. I really like Louise Bourgeois, yes, but then I also like someone that I’d never heard of in Mexico. David Bowie changed my world, but not all music by David Bowie. If I could send a piece of music to the moon it would be Heroes. David was quite right; you can be a hero, even if it’s just for one day.”
More of her work can be viewed here on her website.
Images: Courtesy of Joana Vasconcelos
