Joana Vasconcelos

Short introduction
Is a Portuguese contemporary artist, born in 1971 in Paris and living at the present in Lisbon. She
studied at Centre of Art and Visual Communication in Lisbon and started to develop and publish her work
of arts since the mid 1990’s, however, her international recognition as an important artist came in 2005
when she exhibited at the 51st Venice Biennale. Joana Vasconcelos was the first woman and the youngest
contemporary artist to exhibit in Versailles in 2012.
She takes common, day-to-day objects and themes from everyday life and grants them new meanings.
She transforms ordinary meaningless objects, such as pans, irons, tires, etc. into magnificent pieces of art,
by combing them in an innovative manner, resulting in new objects with powerful and hidden meanings.
Most of her work is done on a large scale, such as the The Bride (2001), a six meter-tall chandelier made
from thousands of women tampons, or the The Call Center(2014-2016), which is a Beretta Pistol made
out of old rotary phones.
Joana Vasconcelos is an artist that always surprises the spectator; she plays with our perception of
ordinary objects, turning them into an homage to women.

Topics approached (Femininity, Patriarchy and Stereotypes)

Through her art works, Vasconcelos gives a physical form to her own emotions and experiences
as a woman. She attempts to depict the multiple dimensions of a woman’s life by challenging the
established stereotypes related to the role of woman in society. In her various installations and sculptures,
Joana defies the notion of femininity in today’s culture, by introducing a duality through the use of kitchen
appliances which represent the ”housewife” image of a woman and depiction of fashion objects which
might represent the image of a career woman.
Joana attempts to bring into focus through a sublime satire the concepts of patriarchy and other power
structures most of which undermine women’s role into society.

Techniques and inspiration

J.V uses quite a lot of different materials for her works of art, such as textile, plastic, glass, ceramic,
metal, clay and marble. What is amazing and innovative in J.V art is the fact that she collaborates with a
large team of about thirty people who are specialized in different fields such as engineers, sculptors,

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knitters, embroiders, etc. She combines many of these techniques together to produce a stunning piece
of art.
In addition to modern techniques used to turn these materials into works of art she prefers to
rely on traditional Portuguese craftwork such as knitting, embroidering, as well as crochet. The traditional
techniques serve a double purpose for the artist: the first would be the continuation and the revitalization
of these cultural traditions and the second would be the satire of these stereotyped feminine activities.
She drew inspiration from the famous ceramist Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, creating several ceramic animal
sculptures with the help of Elsa Rebelo, the last artist who worked in the workshop founded by Rafael, La
Fabrica. She covered the sculptures with lace, in an attempt to symbolically protect them, as they depict
animals that we normally do not have affection for. She drew similarities from the way women used to
use lace to protect furniture, but now furniture is just another consumerism product, that can be easily
discarded, just like the animals.

Pop Art
Before proceeding further, we need to provide a brief definition for Pop Art. It arose from the
Dada movement of the 1920’s as a cultural rebellion against the established high fine art. Just like their
predecessors, the Pop Artists rebelled against the tradition of fine art by including imagery from popular
and mass culture and including everyday objects in their works of art. Pop art is characterized by the use
of mass culture objects and images of media stars to create paintings or sculptures. Pop art movement
proposes to erase the boundaries between "high" art and "low" culture. Pop Artists use common elements
as a satire of the consumerism society in which we live. They often rely on mechanical reproduction or
modern rendering techniques to produce art. Another characteristic of Pop Art is the use of everyday
objects but at a large scale.
Joana V. uses over-sized imagery to emphasize and ridicule certain elements of our consumerism
society, she also uses a variety of day-to-day objects combined to create spectaculars works of art. During
her career, J.V. approached themes and concepts such as feminism, patriarchy and she crossed
boundaries between different fields of work, such as art and fashion, art and engineering. She uses a
variety of different materials and techniques ranging from modern to traditional, along the way drawing
inspiration from a variety of different sources. J.V is an important and innovative Pop Artist but also is an
ambassador for different causes such as the emancipation of women and the revitalization of old
traditions.

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Main works
I will present two of the most iconic works of Joana Vasconcelos are “I’ll be your mirror (2018)”
and “Call Centre (2014)”.
I’ll be your mirror is metaphor for all the art works J.V has done during her 20 year career. In an interview
offered to a Euro News reporter, she stated, “As an artist, you assume different identities over the course
of your career. These identities are all revealed here, and reflected multiple times into the mask”. She also
brings the idea of femininity, I’ll be your mirror should be understood as a reflection of women’s true
identities, sexuality and freedoms which sometimes are suppressed and veiled.
I’ll be your mirror is a Venetian mask created with manually decorated mirrors and, as it is common for
J.V artworks, the Venetian mask has a huge scale. We can easily observe how the common household
objects, in this case the mirrors, come together to create an astonishing piece of art which continuous in
the trend of pop art movement.

The Call Center

With the help of Jonas Runa, J.V created a piece of art, which calls not only the visual, but also the auditory
senses of the spectator. This 2-meter high sculpture of a “Beretta Pistol” is made up of 168 rotary
telephones, each of them, modified to produce a different tone. Jonas Runa, a Lisbon Composer,
improviser, researcher and musicologist, composed an Electroacoustic symphony especially for this
artwork, thus turning it into a musical sculpture. Through this sculpture, J.V approaches the concept of
Globalization, more specifically the concept of presence in today’s mass communication era. The sound
of your voice is associated with your presence and if you speak over the telephone, your presence is
disassociated from your voice. The sound will not originate from your mouth, indicating presence, but
from a digital device. The sculpture takes on a new meaning once you add the auditory element; it turns
into metaphor for the continuous chatter and noise produced by the overwhelming amount of
communication.
In addition to combining household objects to produce a more meaningful work of art, J.V, also crossed
boundaries with this sculpture by presenting it for the public during one of the ModaLisboa fashion shows,
thus consecrating her as an authentic Pop Artist.

The impact
At the beginnings of her career, J.V was not embraced with too much appreciation for the art critics; some
of them even called her a “buffer artist” due to the fact she confront the conformity of the society by

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trying to demolish established norms and stereotypes. Despite of all rumors. J.V succeeded in proving to
people that her art deserve attention and became the first and youngest woman who had an exhibition
in Versailles. J.V is an artist who regular people can relate to, whose popularity is connected to her simple
pieces. In 2012, she inaugurated a foundation though which promote and develop artistic and cultural
education, supports young artists with scholarships and participates in solidarity actions.

Personal reflections
When I have seen for the first time the exhibition I’m your mirror, I felt a little bit confused due to the fact
the pieces of art didn’t have a presentation or a short description of what it should represent. In my
opinion, this could be a minus because for regular people who do not interact too much with
contemporary exhibitions it could be hard to interpret the message transmitted by the artist. However,
after I started to do a bit of research regarding the concepts behind the artworks, I began to understand
how J.V work ties to concepts we encounter every day, such as femininity, patriarchy, stereotypes,
consumerism, etc. The most amazing fact I find in J.V work is that she relies on a large team of people.
Through her amazing ideas she creates a real ecosystem were people from different fields can also show
their tenacity and promote their name and work.

Tim Noble and Sue Webster

Reasons for choosing the artists

I chose to present these two artist as I saw something different, something that I have never seen
before in their artwork. I was immediately attracted by how they use lighting and random pieces of trash
and everyday objects in order to create amazing pieces of art. I found it very interesting how our
perception is split in two dimensions. The impression we have when we first see the elements making up
the sculptures, such as trash and other disregarded items, invokes a feeling of rejection. The other
dimension we perceive is when the sculptures are light and we see the shadows projected on the wall.
This effect manages to contradict the first impression we have about the sculpture, inducing a sense of
amazement and wonder.
Short introduction and biography
Tim Noble and Sue Webster are a London-based collaborative duo, known for the usage of
garbage and scrap metal in their sculptures. These sculptures may not seem much at first glance, however,

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under the right lighting conditions the mass of trash projects incredible shadows, often self-portraits of
the artists, which, the duo call Shadow Sculptures. In contrast to these Shadow Sculptures, the artists
utilize neon, LED lights and lightbulbs to create what they call Light Sculptures.
Tim Noble and Sue Webster met in 1986 when they were both attending courses as Fine Art
students at Nottingham Trent University. The two shared similar interest in music and art and they quickly
became good friends. Eventually, after graduating, the two moved to London and managed to set-up their
first exhibition entitled “British Rubbish”, which had success in the London Art scene. The two hosted
many exhibitions and with each one started attracting more and more people. Their works have been
displayed in the British National Museum as well as the Royal Academy of London. As a recognition for
their work, Tim Noble and Sue Webster were included in the 2009 Venice Biennale as well as being
awarded the Arken Prize.

Topics approached and inspiration

In one of their most important exhibitions, “nihilistic optimistic”, the artistic couple presents a
variety of themes and concepts. Here they exhibited their famous light and shadow sculptures that imply
a duality representing the opposing forces found in the creation of these works. They approach themes
such as the difference between High Art and Low Culture, through their use of trash and debris, which
ultimately form stunning works of art (art out of trash). These sculptures express the inner feelings of the
artists themselves as human beings exposed to a duality of feelings: love and hate, admiration and disgust,
hope and despair, light and shadow.
The couple through the unique way in which they built the sculptures, attempt to bring a critique to our
consumerism driven society. The debris and garbage that make up the sculptures depict the way our
society discards most of the things we consume, without considering what we can build or recycle from
this discarded mess. Their work relies heavily on the representation of the opposite: high culture and anti-
culture, male and female, craft and rubbish.
The concept of brining opposites together can also be attributed to the couple’s affinity towards punk
music and culture. The artistic duo mixes elements of punk and counterculture transforming their art into
a strange union of opposites.
In addition to the trash and wire sculptures, the couple relies also on large lighting installations, some of
the most iconic ones being the Toxic Schizophrenia and the $ dollar. Both artworks draw inspiration from
pop culture and advertising elements, such as flashy lights and neon displays, as a satire not only to
modern culture but also to the rigid critiques of the art world.

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Main works
Although the couple have a multitude of astonishing sculptures and works of art, I will reference
two of the most iconic ones: Toxic Schizophrenia and Miss Understood and Mr Meanor.
Miss Understood and Mr Meanor
This is the duos first shadow sculpture, which was created while working for the London artists
Gilbert and George. Encouraged by the two artists, Tim and Sue started to experiment with the
assemblage of personal items and domestic trash as well as with the concepts of duality. The work of art
consist of two shadows, that of Nobel’s and Webster’s head, impaled on stakes. These shadows are
projected on a wall when light hits, in a specific angle, the unrecognizable pile of trash. The sculpture is
made out of pin badges of rock bands, broken sunglasses and other discarded items. Unfortunately, this
work was destroyed in the 2004 Momart warehouse fire, along with a number of other works of art.
Other iconic shadow sculptures: Dead Stuff, Wild Mood Swings, He/She, Dirty White Trash
Toxic Schizophrenia
In the Toxic Schizophrenia piece, the couple again uses a variety of opposing symbols and
concepts, for example, romance and pain, veneration and aversion, fidelity and betrayal. The sculpture
depicts a classic biker tattoo of a heart and dagger, characteristic of low, kitsch and mundane culture.
The colored lightbulbs that make up the sculpture are illuminated in such a way that the heart appears to
drain of blood and then refills. This pattern signifies the power of opposites to tear each other apart but
also to come together. A much larger version was donated to the Museum of Contemporary Arts in Denver
where it still stands today outside the museum building. The massive size of the sculpture along with the
illuminating pattern of the lightbulbs, was meant to transport the audience to either the Las Vegas Strip
or Times Square, powerful symbols of today’s consumerist society.

Techniques and Materials

The couple uses several unique techniques depending on the collection.
For their Shadow sculptures collection they incorporate diverse materials including household rubbish,
scrap metal and taxidermy animals. By shining light onto these assemblages, they are transformed into
highly accurate shadow profiles of the artists.
The light sculptures, created in tandem with their shadow installations, are constructed out of computer-
sequenced light bulbs that perpetually flash. The sculptures reference the iconic pop culture symbols of
Britain and America, resembling carnival or the shining lights of Las Vegas and Times Square.

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In addition to these innovative sculptures, the artist also employed traditional sculpting techniques in
their New Barbarians piece.
This innovative approach utilized in their light and shadow sculptures, redefine how abstract
forms can be transformed into figurative pieces of art and how people perceive the “discarded” objects
as they are transformed into recognizable items. According to Webster, the main goal of these innovative
techniques is to leave the audience “scratching their heads” wondering “how do they do it?!”. The couple
exploits the brains weakness when it comes to optical illusions, challenging the audience’s perception of
reality.

Tim Noble, Sue Webster and Pop Art movement

Similar to Joana V. and other pop artists, the two make use of over-sized, out of scale proportions
in their artworks in order to emphasize and ridicule our kitschy, superficial society. The artistic duo take
the use of ordinary items in their work, one-step further, by creating sculptures out of trash and other
discarded things. Through this process, the duo draws attention to the issues of overconsumption that
our society faces, without considering what we can build or recycle from this items we so easily throw
away. The two artists draw inspiration from a variety of elements found in Pop Culture, such as tattoos,
as well as from their affinity towards Punk music and the anti-culture symbolism it comes with.
Impact and public perception
The use of graphic symbolism in their art-work created a strong reaction from critics and audience
as well. Sex is an element symbolically depicted in the duo’s work, subject which is taboo even today. The
use of taxidermy animals and other pieces of trash are further proof of the couples intent to shock the
public. After the initial sense of shock and awe disappears, the public is welcomed to a wonderful
spectacle of light and shadow, thus the regular visitor is confronted with contradictory feelings.
The duos artwork has been displayed in countless galleries and prestigious museums such as Royal
Academy of Arts, The British Museum 2008-2009, Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver, Colorado, and
many more. Despite their graphic imagery and taboo topics approached in their artwork, the two artists
have received recognition and admiration from the art community, proof being the prestigious awards
the couple has received, to name just a few: the inclusion in the 2009 Venice Biennale and the Arken Prize
in 2009.

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Similarities and differences to Joana Vasconcelos
- Whereas Joana V. uses traditional techniques in her work, such as knitting, ceramics and
embroidering, Tim Noble and Sue Webster rely solely (as se baza numai pe) modern techniques
for their sculptures such as metal working, iron casting.
- The two British approach feminism in a more direct manner, through their expressive metal
sculptures which represent the lust and desire of men. Joana V. uses more subtle references
through the use of symbols such as women specific crafts or more powerful ones such as shoes
and other fashion elements.
- Both, Joana and the couple works in teams, the difference is Joana has a much larger team, while
the two British artists do not rely on other people help.
- Both Joana V. and the team of Sue Webster and Tim Noble, created powerful and iconic pieces of
art who brought people attention to subjects that we usually hesitate to discuss about.
- Even though they both use ordinary objects in order to create art, sometimes the couple brings
the ordinary to an extreme level, using rubbish.
- The large scale works are a common point.

Personal appreciation
Although I like the majority of their work, I did find some of them, mostly the metal sculptures a
bit vulgar for my taste. Nevertheless, the couple succeeded in challenging my perception about the
sculptures as a physical object and the meaning behind them. Another thing that I enjoyed about the
British couple’s work is that they draw inspiration from their affinity to punk music and culture. I find it
interesting how they take their inspiration from punk music, which is an expression of a very different
type of art and how they manage to use this inspiration in their creative process. A form of art can give
birth to another distinct form of art.

References
https://www.vasconcelos-versailles.com/press/ArtPress_Julho_Agosto2012_pp41_46_Julie_Crenn.pdf
https://www.theartstory.org/movement-pop-art-history-and-
concepts.htm#concepts_styles_and_trends_header
https://joanavasconcelos.guggenheim-
bilbao.eus/en/exhibition?fbclid=IwAR07_acFOGTIVBo0JJdWI5Sq6_LEh0RYf-
c7hzylgTWoYRQpGRuDMiSG0zk

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https://popartfromlighttodark.wordpress.com/mass-consumption/
https://www.artworksforchange.org/portfolio/tim-noble-and-sue-webster/
https://www.artsy.net/artist/tim-noble-and-sue-webster
https://www.itsnicethat.com/features/tim-noble-sue-webster-260117
http://www.timnobleandsuewebster.com/biography.html