Cknown for its monumental and eccentric worksthe Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos “pays homage to women in all their diversity” with one show which puts the high fashion of Valentino Garavani with language of contemporary art. Inside the spaces of PM23headquarters of Valentino Garavani Foundation And Giancarlo Giammetti to Rome, 12 installations they live with 33 archive creations by the designer. The intent is to tell «the countless dimensions of the feminine», said the artist to The Art Journal. Vasconcelos transforms the fabric into a pictorial surface and enriches it with forks, sequins, ropes and crystals, giving shape to one artisanal and daily vision of high fashion. The result? Valentino’s woman multiplies: she is Venus and Valkyrie, Cinderella and Femme Fatale, seductress and prostitute in a nightlife neighborhood of Lisbon.
New life to everyday objects
From January 18th to May 31st, the exhibition Venus – Valentino Garavani through the eyes of Joana Vasconcelos will tell the public a personal and original vision of Valentino’s genius and the beauty suggested by his creations. As often happens in the works of Vasconcelos, common materials are transformed into works full of meaning: irons that bloom into lotus flowers, pots and lids that become monumental shoes, knives and forks that recompose into sacred hearts. Every installation overturns gender stereotypes and invites us to look beyond appearances. «By working with objects from everyday life I carry out a sort of identity transformation. Very simple things can become precious objects. And this also applies to situations”, explains Vasconcelos.
The heart of the exhibition: the monumental Valkyrie Venus
The reflection on the patriarchal gaze and on the multiple representations of women finds its own beating heart in the monumental Valkyrie Venus. «With my Valkyries, mythological flying creatures of the Germanic peoples – explains the artist in the interview – I wanted to represent the multiple dimensions of contemporary female identities: the housewife, the prostitute, the mythological and mythologized woman». The work was born from direct dialogue with Valentino’s clotheswhich is inspired by embroidery and details, and is made entirely by hand by the artist together with his collaborators, including Rome and the Lisbon laboratory.
The final garden: a feminine Eden
The journey ends with Garden of Edenan immersive and dreamlike environment in which eight total black dresses they emerge from a nocturnal garden composed of artificial flowers, illuminated by microscopic flickering lights. Here seduction and mystery, strength and delicacy coexist, in a final celebration of femininity as creative and transformative energycapable of regenerating and changing.
A collective and inclusive project
One of the strongest aspects of Venus it’s its size social and participatory. The realization of the works involved over 200 people Between students of fashion and art academies, associations, women prisoners, patients and volunteers. Thousands of crochet modules, made in Rome and assembled in Lisbon, tell a story shared creativity that becomes a tool for inclusion and redemption. This choral work is documented by video installation by Daniele Luchettipresent in the exhibition. In its beyond 1000 square meters, Venus thus offers an unprecedented look at Valentino’s creative universe. As they explain Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti in the press release«Venus was born from the desire to celebrate creativity in all its forms, as a bridge between art, fashion and community».
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