CATALOGO DA EXPOSICAO JOANA VASCONCELOS PALACIO NACIONAL DA AJUDA (ING)

«Joana Vasconcelos interprets reality through an analysis of today`s society`s mentalities and iconographies. She deals with the dialectic between high and low culture, the private and public spheres, tradition and contemporaneity. Her practice consists of the deconstruction of the values, habits and customs of Western civilization in order to question personal and collective identity, whether this arises from gender, class or nationality. Vasconcelos takes her inspiration from the common imagination, both on the local and global levels. However, what prevails in her practice are references to narratives and artefacts that are familiar to her everyday life. This is shown in her regular adopting of images and objects that are characteristic to the place where she lives and works - Lisbon, Portugal - as the basis for her works. In making her works she uses popular materials normally associated to the condition of women, as well as crafts-related techniques that are generally connected to female labour.» Miguel Amado Exhibition Curator