Thorsten Sadowsky, director of the museum hosting the largest exhibition of the artist Joana Vasconcelos in Germany, admits that the show has represented a “logistical challenge” that is extremely exciting the public.
The Gottorf Castle Museum of Art and Cultural History is showing “Joana Vasconcelos. The Castle of the Valkyries”, the largest solo exhibition to date of the Portuguese artist’s works in Germany.
“The reaction to our exhibition has been very positive. Our audience is extremely enthusiastic and the feedback from the media has been very good and much stronger than we are used to,” pointed out the Scientific Director of the Schleswig-Holstein State Museum Foundation Schloss Gottorf.
“The fact that an artist with a decidedly feminist self-image is being presented at Gottorf Castle is also being recognized. This has never happened here in this form before. And Joana Vasconcelos gave an incredibly sympathetic and convincing performance at the opening. With this exhibition, Joana Vasconcelos has managed to create a feminist castle, so to speak, and has once again proved herself to be an ambassador for art in Portugal,” he added.
Thorsten Sadowsky stressed his pride at being able to offer an exhibition “of this prominence” in the year of the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution in Portugal.
“We received a lot of enthusiastic feedback and many guests traveled from far and wide to see the exhibition. The artist’s international reputation ensures that the baroque splendor of Gottorf Castle is revived. Joana Vasconcelos’ collaboration with designer brands such as Dior and Max Mara or the Roche Bobois furniture store fascinates a public interested in art and fashion,” she said.
The exhibition “shows the various facets of Vasconcelos’ artistic work”, whose work is “informed by an appreciation of traditional Portuguese crafts and artisanal techniques, which she places in new contexts, reinterprets and presents to the world”.
The museum director also pointed out that there have been several questions from the public to the artist.
“As Joana Vasconcelos makes a very strong reference to Portugal’s cultural heritage in her artwork, including the colonial past, many questions arise in the context of the current post-colonial debate. It was the Portuguese who brought tea to Europe and Catarina de Bragança who introduced tea culture to the court of Charles II of England. Or the distinctive tradition of filigree jewelry in Portugal, which was also inspired by influences from the Far East,” she said.
“The references in the artist’s work to the Baroque and the splendid Manueline architectural style, with its various maritime ornaments, always lead to interesting discussions with the audience. The migration of forms, symbols and ideas is a recurring theme, as are the many links between Portugal and Germany,” she says.
To accompany the exhibition, visitors can look forward to various parallel activities. In addition to the traditional guided tours, there are concerts, readings, movie nights and new offers, such as yoga in the museum, a knitting meeting and patchwork.
In the exhibition’s hands-on workshop, visitors can also get to know the work of Joana Vasconcelos, touch original Valkyrie pieces in a ‘touch station’, design their own Valkyrie in a competition and crochet.
Thorsten Sadowsky highlights the trusting and effective collaboration that brought to life an exhibition that had been planned for two years.
“The exhibition was a logistical challenge, as the complexity and size of the works meant that their installation required very precise planning and special transportation technology, and several teams had to be coordinated. The installation team from the artist’s studio is very professional and experienced and worked very well with our installation team and other partners for around two weeks,” she concludes.
“Joana Vasconcelos. The Castle of the Valkyries” can be visited until November 3rd at Gottorf Castle.
