The largest solo exhibition by Joana Vasconcelos

Oscar Niemeyer Museum promotes the largest solo exhibition by Joana Vasconcelos in Brazil

Her “Valkyrie Miss Dior”, an internationally famous work, is the attraction of the Museum's most noble exhibition space. Another highlight is the ‘Valquíria Matarazzo’, which welcomes the public, installed on the main access ramp to the Museum, at the visitor entrance, a place never before used as an exhibition space.

From November 23rd, the Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON) will take its audience to an immersion in the magical world of Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos. “Extravaganzas” is the artist’s largest solo exhibition in Brazil and one of the grandest ever promoted by MON.

“The eye and several unique spaces below it, floors of the tower and the main internal ramp of the Museum were occupied by the color and creativity of this artist who lives and works in Lisbon, but whose art goes beyond the limits of Portugal and Europe and fascinates the public from several continents”, says the Museum’s CEO, Juliana Vosnika. “Monumental installations and sculptures go beyond the space and invade the MON, inviting the visitor to immerse themselves in a universe never created in the Museum”, she adds.

Her “Valkyrie Miss Dior”, an internationally famous work, is the attraction of the Museum's most noble exhibition space. With stratospheric dimensions (approximately 7 meters high and more than 20 meters long), the incredible work mixes handmade wool crochet, fabrics and polyester, suspended on steel cables, in a unique piece.

“Another highlight is the ‘Valquíria Matarazzo’, which welcomes the public, installed on the main access ramp to the Museum, at the visitor entrance, a place never before used as an exhibition space”, says Juliana.

The Secretary of State for Culture, Luciana Casagrande Pereira, states that once again the Oscar Niemeyer Museum is consolidating itself as one of the most important on the international contemporary art scene by hosting the largest exhibition by the artist Joana Vasconcelos in Brazil. “I am sure that this will be an unforgettable experience for the visiting public.”

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Visual artist Joana Vasconcelos says she is very happy to return to Brazil and be able to bring together the latest 'Valquíria (Miss Dior)' with the one she created for Matarazzo, in a very interesting dialogue not only between the two works, but also with the architecture of the Museum.

“I also designed, especially for MON and for the first time in my career, an exhibition of models that will allow us to explore the connection between a work of art and space and architecture, an idea that arose from the privilege of exhibiting at ' Niemeyer’s Eye”.

CURATOR – The exhibition’s curator, Frenchman Marc Pottier, states that “Extravagances” transcends baroque and kitsch. “After the Guggenheim in Bilbao, the Château de Versailles, the Palazzo Grassi in Venice, the artist presents her first museum exhibition in Brazil”, he states.

He explains that the gigantic installation “Valkyrie Miss Dior” was created this year by the artist for the Dior fashion show in Paris (France), and currently appears in the brand's windows in various locations around the world. “It is a work that challenges all artistic trends and breaks the monotony of an aesthetic”, says the curator.

“The selection of models from his main site-specific projects carried out around the world allows us to capture the breadth of an extraordinary personality that seems to have the sky as its limit”, he adds.

In addition to the Eye and the Museum's ramp, the artist's work occupies the floors of the Araucária tower and space, where the public can see works such as “Pantelmina”, “Big Booby”, models of the iconic “Solitário”, “Cantiçais”, “ Gateway”, “Wedding Cake”, “Mask” and “Shoe”, as well as several panels.

THE ARTIST - Joana Vasconcelos has a professional career spanning approximately 30 years that encompasses a huge variety of techniques. Recognized for her monumental sculptures and immersive installations, she decontextualizes everyday objects and updates the concept of arts and crafts for the 21st century, establishing a dialogue between the private sphere and public space, popular heritage and high culture. With humor and irony, she questions the status of women, consumer society and collective identity.

International acclaim began in 2005, with “The Bride”, at the first Venice Biennale curated by women. She was the youngest artist and first woman to exhibit at the Palace of Versailles. In 2012, her exhibition was the most visited in France in 50 years, with a record attendance of 1.6 million people.

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In 2018, Joana Vasconcelos became the first Portuguese artist to have a solo show at the Guggenheim in Bilbao, the fourth best that year in The Art Newspaper ranking and the third most visited in the museum's history. Currently, in 2023, she achieved the honor of exhibiting at the Uffizi Galleries and the Pitti Palace, in Florence, alongside classic masters such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Caravaggio and Botticelli.

With works of art and exhibitions on four continents, the artist has been awarded more than 30 awards. In 2009, she received the degree of Commander of the Order of Infante D. Henrique by the Presidency of the Portuguese Republic and, in 2022, she became an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture. Since 2006, she has maintained Atelier Joana Vasconcelos, with more than 50 employees. In 2012 she created the Joana Vasconcelos Foundation to provide scholarships, support social causes and promote art for all.

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ABOUT MON - The Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON) is a state heritage site linked to the State Secretariat for Culture. The institution houses important references of national and international artistic production in the areas of visual arts, architecture and design, as well as great Asian and African collections. In total, the collection has approximately 14 thousand works of art, housed in a space of more than 35 thousand square meters of built area, which makes MON the largest art museum in Latin America.

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“Extravaganzas”, by Joana Vasconcelos

Opening: 23rd (Thursday), at 7pm

Until May 2024

Location: Eye, ramp, tower and space Araucária - Oscar Niemeyer Museum – Rua Marechal Hermes, 999 – Centro Cívico – Curitiba – Paraná.