Friday, November 1, 2024 at 10:44
Rabat – The Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rabat (MMVI) exhibited, starting Thursday, two monumental artistic works by renowned Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, on the occasion of the celebrations of her 10 years of creation.
This exhibition, organized by the National Museum Foundation (FNM) and the Atelier Artistique de Joana Vasconcelos, highlights some of the Portuguese artist’s most striking works, inspired by the cultures and ancestral traditions of local communities.
These two large artistic installations, called Mary Poppins and Royal Valkyrie, occupy pride of place in the museum hall and invite the visitor on a dreamlike walk where tradition and modernity, femininity and power combine.
Mary Poppins, with its sprawling shape and bright color palette, is distinguished by its six protective arms sprouting from a central body. She skillfully combines industrial textures and hand-sewn fabrics, fusing traditional craftsmanship and modern materials.
Royal Valkyrie represents, for its part, an exuberant warrior goddess, dressed in floral brocades with patterns and techniques inspired by Nisa, a Portuguese village renowned for its artisanal know-how.
The soft sculptures making up this installation, made with hooks and strands of fabric, recall Portuguese baroque art with an innovative vision specific to the artist.
In a statement to MAP, Ms. Vasconcelos emphasized that in her work she tries to create a relationship between the work and local culture, emphasizing that her works are pieces that carry within them stories inspired by traditions and local crafts.
Noting that she used in some of her artistic works numerous pieces acquired in Morocco, she recalled that the Kingdom is distinguished by its centuries-old traditions and its rich cultural tributaries.
For his part, the Portuguese ambassador to Morocco, Carlos Pereira Marques, expressed his pride in his country’s participation in the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the creation of the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, with the exhibition of two artistic works by one of the greatest contemporary artists in the world.
He explained that the exhibition of the two artistic works “Mary Poppins” and “Royal Valkyrie” in Morocco constitutes a celebration of art and the deep friendship that unites the two countries, stressing that the organization of this exhibition coincides with the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the peace treaty between Morocco and Portugal.
For his part, the director of the MMVI, Abdelaziz El Idrissi, noted that the museum is opening itself, through the exhibition of these two installations, to new and authentic works.
He also expressed his joy that the museum is hosting a creative Portuguese artist of international renown who has exhibited her work in the biggest international art exhibitions.
Born in 1971, Joana Vasconcelos is a Portuguese visual artist whose career, spanning over 30 years, encompasses a vast diversity of mediums.
