www.fatimashop, whose title is borrowed from a website dedicated to selling religious goods, emerges as a biting and mocking document on the inconsistent relationship between religious spirituality and consumerist materialism. It is an installation composed of a road video, the account of a journey made by the artist to Fatima; a Piaggio van and its trailer, used for this journey; and the goods purchased in Fatima, placed in the small trailer as if it were a shrine, namely statues of Our Lady of Fatima. The work not only depicts the reality of Fatima*, but also offers a partial inventory of the social territory that serves the aesthetic intentions of Joana Vasconcelos.


* We could refer to Mecca, Jerusalem, Lourdes, Santiago de Compostela or any other important destination for millions of devotees who seek spiritual fulfilment through such pilgrimages. Nowadays, these places have become a powerful stimulus for the consumerism associated with religious tourism and commerce.