Joana Vasconcelos to Take Over Madrid’s Liria Palace

Joana Vasconcelos b. 1971, French Guiana Follow +

Artist Joana Vasconcelos will present a major exhibition at the Liria Palace in Spain from February 2025.

Built in the 18th century, the Liria Palace is the official Madrid residence of the House of Alba, which is headed by Carlos Fitz-James Stuart y Martínez de Irujo, the 19th Duke of Alba.

Vasoncelos’ creations will appear alongside items from the House of Alba’s collection, including works by Diego Velázquez, Francisco Goya, Peter Paul Rubens, Titian, and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo.

Born in 1971, Vasconcelos has shown large-scale sculptures and installations in locations including the Château de Versailles in 2012, where she presented improbable combinations of subject matter and materials including lace lions, a feather helicopter, and a giant pair of high-heeled shoes assembled from stainless steel cooking pans and lids.

As Portugal’s representative at the 2013 Venice Biennale, she created a ferry boat covered in traditional blue-and-white azulejo tiles that transported visitors between the Arsenale, Giardini, and Punta della Dogana.

Earlier this year, Vasconcelos presented textile trees illuminated by LEDs for an exhibition entitled Enchanted Forest at Taikoo Place in Hong Kong. The artist worked with a team of 60 for six months to create the ornate works for the show.

Talking to Ocula about her practice in April 2024, Vasconcelos said, ‘I was trained as a jewellery maker and in a way, I still think like one. The only difference is the scale of the work.’ —[O]

Main image: Joana Vasconcelos, Royal Valkyrie (2012). Photo: Luís Vasconcelos.