After showcasing her monumental works at iconic venues like the Château de Versailles, the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Palazzo Grassi in Venice, and the Royal Academy of Arts in London, Joana Vasconcelos now brings her striking installations to the Musée Mohammed VI d'Art Moderne et Contemporain (MMVI) in Rabat. Starting on October 31, 2024, Mary Poppins and Royal Valkyrie —two of Vasconcelos’s large-scale, immersive pieces—will command the central hall of the MMVI as part of the museum’s 10th-anniversary celebration.

These installations, known for their powerful scale and symbolic resonance, lead visitors on a journey through themes of tradition and modernity, femininity, and strength. Mary Poppins, with its expansive form and vibrant colors, stands out with six towering, protective arms extending from its core. The work melds industrial materials with hand-stitched fabrics, fusing artisanal traditions with contemporary media.Royal Valkyrie, in turn, captures the essence of a warrior goddess dressed in floral brocades inspired by the craftsmanship of Nisa, a Portuguese village famed for its decorative arts. This piece, composed of soft sculptures fashioned from interwoven fabrics, echoes the elaborate forms of Portuguese Baroque but with Vasconcelos’s unique, innovative approach. Beyond their visual impact, Vasconcelos’s works deconstruct societal codes and probe our perceptions of identity, society, and tradition. With a touch of irony, she invites viewers to question ingrained norms and the roles traditionally assigned to women in a consumer-driven world.

This exhibition is organized by the Fondation Nationale des Musées in partnership with the Joana Vasconcelos studio.