See five of Joana's artworks in Lisbon. Near the River Tagus, at Doca de Santo Amaro, you can visit Portugal a Banhos, 2010 is moulded entirely in fibreglass, in the shape of Portugal's mainland. Size, colour and material are similar to prefabricated fibreglass pools marketed all over the country. Nonetheless, this "swimming pool" is a work of art, with no practical use. Its iconography, easily recognisable form and familiarity reinforce the work's aim of questioning the methods and purposes of the culture of immediate consumption. Its enormous scale highlights the absurdity of the growing standardisation of the constructed environment that surrounds us, as well as multiplying shapes and materials that are stripped of all meaning, purpose and particularity.
Kit Garden, 2012 located in Largo do Intendente, part of the Mouraria renovation project, gives the space a new urban infrastructure. A multifunctional work of art, it simultaneously fulfils the attributes of sculpture, bench and garden. It is composed of a vegetable element, the laurel tree; an architectural element, wrought iron; and a furniture element, the set of wooden benches articulated in a dichotomous logic - inside/outside, full/empty, public/private, offering the possibility of choosing between private and introspective spaces, or social and collective spaces.
In Campo Grande, is the permanent installation Jardim Bordallo Pinheiro, 2010 in the garden of Museu de Lisboa- Palácio Pimenta. Walk along the pedestrian crossing and take the time to visit Museu Bordallo Pinheiro, and along the way discover Raphael Bordallo Pinheiro's faiences that Joana Vasconcelos has installed with Jardim do Campo Grande, 2017.
At the Dior shop, located at 85 Avenida da Liberdade, in a historic 19th century building, where you can find three artworks by Joana Vasconcelos. Two ceramic tile panels and a Valkyrie made in collaboration with the house of Dior were produced specifically for the shop. Following an ongoing collaboration between Joana Vasconcelos and the French fashion house, which recently presented Valkyrie Miss Dior, 2023, during the autumn/winter 2023-2024 show, and which quickly spread to the brand's flagship stores around the world.
Also on Avenida da Liberdade, at Boutique dos Relógios Plus, there's Mobile do Tempo, 2015 a piece that promotes a discourse between art and time, which was created specifically for the shop's entryway. Two huge pointers, suspended in parallel with the ceiling, support colourful crocheted arms illuminated by LED lights. Mobile do Tempo is kinetic, mutable, colourful and illuminated art, inspired by time and tradition.
