Joana Vasconcelos has become one the most respected and sought-after artists of the 21st century. She is known for using non-traditional materials, and particularly textiles, to create monumental and expansive works that intrigue, inspire and entertain the viewer: her chandelier decorated with tampons caused a sensation at the Venice Biennale in 2005, and she has since had solo exhibitions at Versailles and Manchester Art Gallery. Vasconcelos aims to re-present and subvert everyday objects, often manipulating scale and form, and is keenly interested in the role of women and items associated with them. This book focuses on her extraordinary works in textiles. It highlights in particular her 'Valkyries' series, vibrant patchwork extravaganzas that weave together knitting and crochet with silk, velvets, recycled clothes and industrially produced textiles embellished with Portuguese tassels, crystals and beads. Enrique Juncosa and Crispin Sartwell offer thoughtful and in-depth overviews of her work and its development over the past fourteen years.

Author Biography

Enrique Juncosa is a writer and a curator based in Spain. He was director of the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin (2003-12), and previously deputy director of the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid (2000-03) and also deputy director of Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno, Valencia (1998-2000) Crispin Sartwell is a writer and philosopher, teaching philosophy at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Publications include Act Like You Know: African-American Autobiography and White Identity (1998); Six Names of Beauty (2004); Against the State: An Introduction to Anarchist Political Theory (2008); Political Aesthetics (2010); and How to Escape: Magic, Madness, Beauty, and Cynicism (2014).