Monograph, the series of talks featuring professionals and key figures from the creative industry. New appointment with Joana Vasconcelos
News
IED Monograph: Joana Vasconcelos
Date
06 October 2023
On the occasion of the exhibition 'Between Sky and Heart' at Galleria degli Uffizi, Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos met with students from IED Firenze. She was invited to continue the Monograph series of conversations with international creative industry leaders.
By decontextualizing everyday objects and updating the connection between arts and crafts for the 21st century, Joana Vasconcelos establishes a dialogue between the privatesphere and public space, popular heritage, and high culture. With humor and irony, she challenges the condition of women, consumer society, and collective identity.
"I am fully aware that I would not be doing the work I do if I were not a woman and if I were not Portuguese. I was born in France (my parents were exiled in France during the dictatorship), but I grew up in Portugal, and I have always been captivated by the richness of Portuguese culture and the connection between arts and crafts so prevalent in my work. Tiles, creams, fabrics, embroideries, jewelry, gilded woodwork, the abundance of color, and the use of light are all manifestations of the savoir-faire of the country that has made me a true Baroque artist", says Joana Vasconcelos.
In dialogue with students from all courses at IED, the artist shared the creative process behind her monumental works, mentioning, among others, her interpretation of Lady Dior and the Wedding Cake installed in the English garden of the Rothschild family. Joana Vasconcelos thus emphasized the value of cross-contamination between Design, Fashion, and Art as the highest form of contemporary expression.
"Joana has shown us how the hybridization of different languages can transcend every cultural and social boundary. This is the response to the greatest ongoing transformations, including the challenge of Artificial Intelligence. This is the way to conceive something new, given that as human beings, we do not have the ability to create from nothing. This is the return to Humanism we were waiting for"; declares Danilo Venturi, IED Firenze Director.
You may be interested in:
