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’ latest incarnation of her renowned Valkyries series. Inspired by the female figures of Norse mythology, the Valkyries each honor remarkable historical women. In this case, with Valkyrie Seondeok, the artist honors the second female sovereign in recorded East Asian history and the first reigning queen of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, from 632 to 647. 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.