The art of haute couture: Valentino Garavani through the eyes of sculptor Joana Vasconcelos

Lisbon is hosting, through February 22, an exhibition inspired by the world of fashion designer Valentino Garavani, a collaborative effort with Portuguese sculptor and artist Joana Vasconcelos, who designed an exhibition layout at the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, MAT, where her own work engages in a dialogue with pieces created over the years by the Italian fashion designer. of choosing dresses that were not the cliché of the Valentino red. And I wanted to show the diversity and the wonder of the work of Valentino, the way he worked the embroidery, the fabrics, that he worked completely different from each other, and how he, from materials, transformed and created this idyllic woman, this goddess woman, who, in some way, transformed the identity of women with her dresses. At the centre of the exhibition is the Valkyrie Venus, and imposing textile sculpture conceived by the artist as a profound reflection on Valentino's legacy. From this piece, this exhibition was born, in which we are going to play the paradox between the domestic and the luxury. The woman who is at home, the woman who is in intimacy, the woman who is not seen, and the woman in the public space, the woman who transforms into a goddess because she wears Valentino's dress. And it is this dialogue between the private and the public, between the domestic and the luxury, The exhibition includes some of Joana Vasconcelos' most iconic works, as well as new creations. It follows a first exhibition presented in Rome at the PM23, the cultural space founded by Valentino and his life and business partner Giancarlo Giammetti.