This piece could be the mere expression of an aulic, excessive power, as immediately suggested by the symbolism of the brand of car chosen and the richness and luxury of the bodywork’s ornaments. The gilded woodwork, made from original baroque models, takes us back to the embassy carriages of King João V; and, from there, to the appropriation of Brazilian gold and games of international political influence. The addition of the colourful ostrich feathers and the chosen title, however, immediately place Drag Race in a universe of transgression (albeit consensual): a universe of fantasy and melancholic celebration.

A year or so ago, maybe two, I was able to see the beginnings of the piece in the studio and now, with great anticipation and pure joy, I find it finished. This adulteration of a Porsche, given the title Drag Race, invokes Baroque coaches densely adorned with gilded woodcarvings featuring a set of red feathers at the rear. The attention to detail, the exuberance, and the sense of humour, which I think is present in almost everything she does, makes this work the most important in Vasconcelos’ career. I think it will easily become one of the most requested for any survey exhibition. The artist’s fascination with the combination of manual labour and the palatial context is notable. A kind of universe of carpenters and embroiderers that no longer simply serve the palace but occupy it. In the humour, there is this grace that comes from increasingly sparkling diamonds or gold, which is as much about luxury as it is a reminder of the hand that makes. In the way she conceptualises art, by giving it its name, Joana Vasconcelos is in all honesty a collective, a centre where the knowledge of magnificent teams of makers converge. She explains this in all her interviews. She shows this in all her works. Facing her work we are, in fact, in front of a people. A people who show their bravery, even if it is only to emphasise, at so many moments, a tender side, a delicate side to which we wish to belong.