In doing so, she combines intimate, often feminine forms of craftsmanship—such as crocheting or ceramics—with a powerful public presence.

Her works are far more than mere aesthetics; they are a humorous yet razor-sharp commentary on social issues. Vasconcelos addresses the role of women, the excesses of consumer society, and the search for collective identity.

She achieved her international breakthrough in 2005 at the Venice Biennale, where she caused a sensation with a chandelier (The Bride) made from thousands of tampons. Since then, she has regularly broken records: In 2012, she became the first woman to hold a solo exhibition at the Palace of Versailles, where she captivated over 1.6 million visitors. This was followed by milestones at the Guggenheim Bilbao and the Uffizi in Florence, where she placed her contemporary visions in direct dialogue with the old masters of art history.

Today, Vasconcelos works in her studio in Lisbon and, through her own foundation, is increasingly committed to social projects and the promotion of the arts. Her work continues to serve as a bridge between the scholarly art world and vibrant popular culture.

Work Title: Flaming Heart

Opulent and exuberant, as it enters our field of vision, Flaming Hearts seems to pulsate immeasurably with its various shades of red, fuchsia and purple. Its tentacular arteries invade the viewer's space, contaminating the surrounding architecture in a game where the building turns into a living organism. The LED lights carved into the piece, coordinated with the rhythm of human beatings, exponentially increase the throbbing of this metamorphic body gravitating imposingly.

Faithful to Joana Vasconcelos' visual vocabulary - covered in shiny sequins and adorned with colourful fringes, amorphous crochet elements and intricately embroidered fabrics –the series Flaming Hearts, which integrates the pieces Flaming Heart, La Passionaria and Sacro Cuore, generously showcases a variety of textures and a wealth of details alluding to the traditionally feminine craft techniques.

Flaming Heart was originally developed as a site-specific installation for the historic cloister of the Santa Caterina a Formiello monastery in Naples, whose history is closely linked to textile production. In Forst, where cloth and textile factories once formed the heart of the city, the work now enters into a new dialogue with the history and transformation of the place.