2024 – Internationally acclaimed Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos’s first-time exhibition at ArtGenève-Gowen
The Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services Switzerland-Portugal based in Geneva, co-organizer of the Real Estate, Investment and Tourism Fair, is honoured to announce the exhibition at ArtGenève – Gowen (25th – 28th January 2024) of a special project by internationally acclaimed Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos.
Having completed numerous high-profile projects across the globe, including collaborations with the French House of Dior in Paris and Shenzhen, the Rothschild Foundation at Waddesdon, UK and the Museu Oscar Niemeyer in Brazil, Vasconcelos’ Valkyrie Mumbet, 2020, selected by exhibition curator Nicolas Trembley, will be installed in the fair’s principal entrance hall.
The monumental sculpture, commissioned to mark the opening of the MAAM (MassArt Art Museum) Boston was unveiled as part of the artist’s first ever solo show in the United States. One of a series of iconic Valkyries created by Vasconcelos over the past 15 years, and which frequently pay homage to groundbreaking women in history, as well as addressing cultural, societal or gender roles from a feminist point of view, Valkyrie Mumbet is a tribute to Elizabeth “Mumbet” Freeman, an enslaved African American woman whose court battle for her freedom in 1781 contributed to making slavery illegal in Massachusetts.
The series takes its name from the fierce war goddesses from Norse mythology who determine the fate of others.
« … Valkyries are goddesses who fly over the battlefields and pick up the brave warriors to bring them back to life – so that they can now work for the gods. They have a very strong power, so in a way, my Valkyries are flying over the art world and bringing it alive. It is a kind of association. »
– Joana Vasconcelos, 2017
The work is a highly personal response by Vasconcelos in its direct reference to her country’s role in the transatlantic slave trade. During the colonial era, European traders capitalized on trade routes between Africa, Europe and the New World and eventually monopolized the textile market.
Numerous elements are integrated to relate the story of Elizabeth Freeman. Assembled with handcrafted embellishments, fringe, and LED lights in Vasconcelos’ atelier in Lisbon, the organic sculpture is primarily made with capulana, a colourful cloth and includes material from the artist’s own personal collection. The capulanas exemplify the fluidity of cultures and reflect a complex, interwoven history of cultural exchanges across continents and centuries.
Vasconcelos points to Freeman’s subsequent and rare independence and wealth for the time, notably in the use of velvet, one of the textiles listed in her will and bequeathed to her descendants. Yellow pom poms and metallic beads symbolize Freeman’s gold bead necklace, and traditional Azorean lace acknowledges the large lusophone population residing in Massachusetts.
Capitalizing on the unique architectural space of the fair’s entrance hall, Valkyrie Mumbet is able to engage the audience from multiple vantage points. From every angle, the viewer may discover something surprising. By bringing Valkyrie Mumbet to the heart of Europe, the artwork calls attention to a local story of global significance, in doing so contributing to current discourse on the legacy of European exploitation, colonization and slaveholding, with particular recognition of the female experience. Vasconcelos states:
“Valkyrie Mumbet is a symbol of freedom. It is a symbol for women and how you can transform your own life by your acts”
Other notable Valkyries from the series include: Valkyrie Miss Dior, 2023, a collaboration with the French House of Dior, presented in the Jardin des Tuileries, Paris in February 2023; Egeria 2018, Guggenheim Bilbao; Valkyrie Octopus, 2015, MGM Macau; Royal Valkyrie, 2012 and Golden Valkyrie, 2012, Palace of Versailles and Contamination 2008-2010, Palazzo Grassi/Pinault Collection, Venice.
Joana Vasconcelos (born in 1971 in Paris) lives and works in Lisbon where she has established a unique, artisan-led studio working model employing some 60 people. She is a multimedia sculpture artist whose works are often complex installations on a monumental scale.
