The Documentary Podcast Joana Vasconcelos: Mask of mirrors
Dec 1, 2025
Joana Vasconcelos, a celebrated Portuguese contemporary artist known for her bold sculptural installations, delves into her creative process behind the dazzling Venetian-style mask for the Guggenheim Bilbao. She shares insights on the concept of shedding identities through art and discusses the intricate journey from sketches to the final production. Joana reveals the collaborative nature of her studio, involving a skilled team in crafting her reflective masterpieces. Listeners get a glimpse into the challenges of precision welding and the magic of mirroring effects that bring her vision to life.
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Mask As Personal Reckoning
- Joana framed the mask as taking off constructed identities and revealing the self.
- The Guggenheim show forced a retrospective honesty about her 23 years of work.
Prototype Then Budget Before Production
- Start every large project with drawings, scaled models and a budget before production.
- Coordinate architecture, production and finance early to validate feasibility.
Studio As Miniature City
- Joana runs a large, multi-disciplinary studio to achieve monumental work at scale.
- She balances solitary decision-making with a team that handles technical execution.