Cœur Indépendant Rouge #1

Is it the Portuguese soul’s elusive uniqueness that can be seen here floating and turning on itself, as if absorbed by an untranslatable saudade, a mixture of nostalgia, hope and loneliness? With fado playing in the background, the installation, an iron sculpture covered with red translucent plastic representing the heart of Viana, plunges us into traditional Portuguese culture’s delicate, tortured emotional intensity.

Joana Vasconcelos created the installation Coração independente vermelho (Independent Red Heart) in 2005. It is particularly emblematic of her work, where everyday objects are transfigured. In this way, she exalts popular culture, raising its components to the rank of totems and universal symbols.

Vasconcelos’ installation Coração independente vermelho (Independent Red Heart) is in the Pinault Collection. It was presented during the 2009 exhibition "Un certain état du monde ?" (“A Certain State of the World?”) at the Garage Center for Contemporary Culture in Moscow.