Coração Independente Vermelho (Red Independent Heart), 2005, Luis Vasconcelos / © Unidade Infinita Projectos, Museu Colecção Berardo, Lisbon

"Inspired by the mythological and aesthetic force of the palace of Versailles, Joana Vasconcelos goes even further in her questioning of luxury and beauty by proposing new works specially designed for the palace. At the same time her programme is centred on the figure of the Woman, omnipresent in her approach, as she is in Versailles. Her aesthetic is both popular and sophisticated. Thus, the exhibition is as much an ephemeral folly as a moment of history. She offers herself to the visitors of Versailles with her harmonies and her dissonances. And also her magic", Catherine Pegard, Presiden of the Public Establishment of the Palace, Museum and National Estate of Versailles, was narrating to all guests arriving and exploring the chambers. 

Valquiria Enxoval (Valkyrie Trousseau), 2009, Luis Vasconcelos / © Unidade Infinita Projectos, Câmara Municipal de Nisa, Nisa

Ladies and Gentlemen...Joana Vasconcelos: "The Palace of Versailles is the place of art par excellence, where aritsts have always felt at home, displaying their work in it not as an exhibition space but as a setting totally imbued with art. It is a full, complete and rich place where it seems that nothing can be added. It is the ideal setting for celebrating audacity, experimentation and freedom, where creative talent is appreciated like in no other place.

My work has developed around the idea that the world is an opera, and Versailles embodies the operatic and aesthetic ideal that inspires me. The works that I propose exist for this place. I see them as linked to Versailles in a timeless way. When I stroll through the rooms of the Palace and its Gardens, I feel the energy of a setting that gravitates between reality and dreams, the everyday and magic, the festive and the tragic. I can still hear the echo of the footsteps of Marie-Antoinette, and the music and festive ambiance of the stately rooms. How would the life of Versailles look if this exuberant and grandiose universe was transferred to our period?

Interpreting the dense mythology of Versailles, transpotting it into the contemporary world, and evoking the presence of the important female figures that have lived here, while drawing on my identity and my experience as a Portugueuse woman born in France, will certainly be the most fascinating challenge of my career". 

Le Dauphin et La Dauphine, 2012,

Luis Vasconcelos / © Unidade Infinita Projectos, Collection of the artist: Courtesy Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris/Brussels and Haunch of Venison, London 

Born in Paris in 1971, Joana Vasconcelos lives and works in Lisbon. The nature of her creative process is based on the appropriation, decontextualisation and subversion of pre-existent objects and everyday realities. Starting out from ingenious operations of displaycement, a reminiscense of the ready-made and the grammars of Nouveau Realisme and pop, the artist offers us a complicit vision, but one which is at the same time critical of contemporary society and the several features which serve the enunciations of collective identity, especially those that concern the status of women, class distinction or national identity. From this process there derives a speech which is attentive to contemporary idiosyncrasies, where the dichotomies of hand-crafted/industrial, private/public, tradition/modernity and popular culture/erudite culture are imbued with affinities that are apt to renovate the usual fluxes of signification which are characteristic of contemporaneity.

Golden Valkyrie, 2012, 

Luis Vasconcelos / © Unidade Infinita Projectos, Collection of the artist: Courtesy Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris/Brussels and Haunch of Venison, London 

The south end of 'hall of mirrors', where important events in the history of France were celebrated, hosts Marilyn, a pair of high-heeled sandals constucted from stainless steel pans and lids, a medium that makes a reference to the armours of the warriors. Typical symbols of female extravaganza these enormous-scale high heels reflect women's achievements both on public and private spheres.

Lilicoptère is a Bell 47 helicopter covered with ostrich feathers, Swarovski crystals, gold leaf, industrial coating, dyed leather upholstery embossed with fine gold, Arraiolos rugs...sitting within Salle 1830, an interior where Marie-Antoinette's monogram is all over and reminds us the origins that have led Man to realize his dream of flying.

Mary Poppins hanging above the Escalier Gabriel, is a handmade sculpture formed by woolen knitting and crochet, industrial knitted fabric, various ornaments hold by steel cables. This artwork, part of the artist's Valkyries series (the Portuguese form of Valkyries). The chandelier-like piece within the Galerie des Batailles, the central room of the museum dedicated "To all the glories of France" by king Louis-Philippe, which Delacroix, who painted his Battle of Taillebourg for it, described as "bizarre galleries".

Royal Valkyrie, 2012, Luis Vasconcelos / © Unidade Infinita Projectos

Collection of the artist: Courtesy Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris/Brussels and Haunch of Venison, London 

In the Chambre de la Reine, Marie Leszczinska's and Marie-Antoinette's decorative aesthetics are more than obvious. The Perruque stands in the corner of the room and is made from vinhatico, tresses of artificial hair -honoring the exuberant hairstyles that all ladies used to love. The artwork is evocative of faberge eggs alluding to the birth of the 19 infants that took place in this bedchamber. 

Perruque, 2012, Luis Vasconcelos / © Unidade Infinita Projectos

Fundaçao Ricardo de Espirito Santo Silva, Lisbon

Work produced in collaboration with Fundaçao Ricardo do Espirito Santo Silva, Lisbon

The Red and the Black Independent Heart are hung from the ceiling on either side of the hall of mirrors. The Red one in the Peace Salon and the Black one in the war salon paying tribute to the Heart of Viana -the iconic portugueuse jewellery piece. Musical referents accompany the installation as 3 Fados songs interpreted by Amalia Rodrigues, the grande Diva of Portugueuse music recall all concerts that Marie Leszczynska hold in the peace salon. 

Gardes, 2012, Luis Vasconcelos / © Unidade Infinita Projectos

Collection of the artist: Courtesy Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris/Brussels and Haunch of Venison, London 

Vitrail, 2012, Luis Vasconcelos / © Unidade Infinita Projectos

Collection of the artist: Courtesy Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris/Brussels and Haunch of Venison, London 

Blue Champagne, 2012, Luis Vasconcelos / © Unidade Infinita Projectos

Collection of the artist: Courtesy Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris/Brussels and Haunch of Venison, London 

Pavillon de Vin, 2011, Luis Vasconcelos / © Unidade Infinita Projectos

Courtesy Societe EFFI/Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris/Brussels

"There is no gratuitous provocation in her work, not even in her "Noiva" (Bride) which made her name at the Venice Biennale, a large chandalier made of tampons and proclaiming feminity, the "original sin", to the world. And how does Versailles fit in? The work of Joana Vasconcelos can only resonate with the duality of the Versailles project itself, this ambivalence between the classical and the baroque styles made explicit by Louis Marin. Versailles is the result of a production, a construction that is at the same time real, symbolic and imaginary. "Imaginary" in that it reveals the "baroque", fantastic and fanciful desire to show absolute power. There is a curious irony of history here if one remembers that the term "baroque" comes from the Portuguese "barroco" that means an irregularly shaped pearl, Jean-Francois Chougner, the Exhibition Curator explained to as all, when we were walking along the gardens...indeed...

The first woman artist ever to be hosted by the Palace, Joana Vasconcelos, is one of a kind and made us dream again of a better future again...

Pavillon de Thé, 2012, Luis Vasconcelos / © Unidade Infinita Projectos

Collection of the artist: Courtesy Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris/Brussels and Haunch of Venison, London 

All photos Courtesy of the artist Luis Vasconcelos / © Unidade Infinita Projectos

Represented by Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris/Brussels, www.galerie-obadia.com;

Haunch of Venison, London/New York, www.haunchofvenison.com; Galeria Horrach Moya, Palma de Mallorca, www.horrachmoya.com and Casa Triangulo, Sao Paolo, www.casatriangulo.com

Joana Vasconcelos Versailles, Chateau de Versailles, 19/06/2012 - 30/09/2012

www.joanavasconcelos.com