The exhibition “Transfiguration” will take place from May 29 to September 27 at the Picasso Museum Málaga as part of a series of exhibitions planned for 2026. This initiative aims to showcase modern and contemporary art through key figures like Pablo Picasso, Edvard Munch, Elena Asins, Joana Vasconcelos, and Miquel Barceló, according to a statement from the institution.
Curated by the artistic director of the Picasso Museum Málaga, Miguel López-Remiro, the exhibition brings together a selection of pieces that trace Joana Vasconcelos’s artistic journey, providing a refreshed perspective on her artistic evolution, as stated in the same release.
The exhibition emphasizes transfiguration as a core element of Vasconcelos’s work. It “transforms and redefines different realms of reality,” featuring “monumental sculptures and installations” that explore the relationship between Portuguese traditions and contemporary art while celebrating cultural heritage and collective identity from a critical and transformative viewpoint, explained the Picasso Museum Málaga.
The exhibition will feature works lent by institutions such as the Louis Vuitton Foundation, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Castile and León (MUSAC), the Extremadura and Ibero-American Museum of Contemporary Art (MEIAC), EDP Foundation, Luis Adelantado Collection, and Joana Vasconcelos’s own studio.
Iconic works by the artist to be displayed in Málaga include “Marilyn” from 2011, “www.fatimashop” from 2002, and “Strangers in the Night” from 2000, as well as “Floresta Encantada” from 2024, which was first exhibited in Hong Kong, China.
Joana Vasconcelos, born in 1971, has forged a more than three-decade-long career characterized by the decontextualization of everyday objects and the appropriation of traditional craftsmanship, adapted for the 21st century to address themes such as the role of women, consumer society, and cultural identity.
Vasconcelos officially represented Portugal at the Venice Art Biennale in 2013, showcasing a ferryboat adorned with traditional tiles in the main venue of the international contemporary exhibition.
She was the first female artist and the youngest creator to present her work at the Palace of Versailles in France, during an individual exhibition that broke visitor records. She has exhibited her work in institutions like the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain, the Pitti Palace, and the Uffizi Galleries in Florence, Italy, among others.
This year, she inaugurated exhibitions like “Drag Race — The Baroque Transgression” at the Museum of Portuguese Decorative Arts in Lisbon, “Flamboyant” in Madrid, Spain, “Flowers of My Desire” in Ascona, Switzerland, and “Pavillon de Vin” in Brasília.
Last year, among other projects, she took “The Castle of the Valkyries” to Germany, “Valkyrie Liberty” to The Armory Show in New York, and “The Garden of Eden” to the Côa Museum in Vila Nova de Foz Côa, Guarda district.
Joana Vasconcelos, the first artist to win the EDP Foundation’s New Artists Award in 2000, began exhibiting in the 1990s. Her work gained international attention in 2005 when she participated in the Venice Biennale with “The Bride,” a monumental chandelier made of feminine hygiene products.
