THE ENCHANTED FOREST: JOANA VASCONCELOS

In the darkened nave of the gallery, The Enchanted Forest (2024) glistens in undulating forms. LED lights illuminate the monumental fabric curves of Joana Vasconcelos’ wondrous landscape. The work invites viewers into an ethereal realm where art and imagination transcend the boundaries of time and space. Visitors seamlessly merge with the artwork, free from physical barriers, becoming part of the immersive experience. The work, first exhibited in Hong Kong, is presented here for the first time in Europe.

Filling the gallery space with a kaleidoscopic series of textile drops rendered in the artist’s signature craft techniques, the sculpture evokes a nebulous living organism. The installation invites an interaction between the audience and the disorienting and inspiring reconfiguration of the space. “Enchanted Forest captures a futuristic spirit while retaining an enchanted allure,” Vasconcelos describes, “The visitor does not really know where they stand, or if the installation itself is placed in the past or in the future, generating a feeling of being pretty amazed and pretty lost at the same time.” 

The work was made in the artist’s studio over six months using Dior textiles. The minute crochet, knit and sewn detailing, and the swirling maze of colors are signatures of the artist’s feminist practice, which elevates craft and artisanal techniques in monumental scale.