Joana Vasconcelos lives and works in Lisbon, Portugal. In her work, she incorporates objects and materials from daily life into large, intricate and colourful assemblages that explore issues of identity, gender, religion, class and nationality. Suspended from the ceiling, the imposing and opulent Valquíria Enxoval (Valkyrie Trousseau) plays with contrasts of hand-crafted/industrial, private/public, tradition/modernity and pop culture/high culture to create an ambitious visual statement of power and identity.

The work was created with local artisans of Nisa, a small town in the Alentejo region of Portugal renowned for its arts and crafts.

The international career of Joana Vasconcelos (Paris, 1971) includes solo shows in the Château de Versailles (2012), the Palacio Nacional de Ajuda in Lisbon (2013) and the Gucci Museum in Florence (2013). She created the Trafaia Praia for the Portuguese Pavilion in the 2013 Venice Biennale.

Valquíria Enxoval (2009)
Joana Vasconcelos
Curated by Enrique Juncosa
VISUAL Carlow, Main Gallery
6th June – 31st August

This exhibition is kindly sponsored by Quinta do Lago Hotel in Portugal’s Algarve and supported by the Portugese Embassy in Ireland.