Leonor Antunes
b. 1972, Lisbon, Portugal
Lives and works in Berlin, Germany
Felice #1, 2024
latão
[brass]
[brass]
180 x 55 x 10 cm
70 7/8 x 21 5/8 x 4 in
70 7/8 x 21 5/8 x 4 in
21683
© artista [the artist]
Leonor Antunes reflects her ongoing engagement with the legacy of female artists—not simply as a gendered statement, though this is acknowledged, but as part of a broader investigation into overlooked contributions to modernist art and design. Antunes’s practice is deeply rooted in research that delves into modernist movements, mid-century architecture, and the history of design; in particular, female artists and designers who have been historically overlooked by a male-dominated environment. While unraveling the diverse stories that these female protagonists have followed, Antunes creates unique sculptural pieces that take on a new form.
In Felice #1, Antunes turns to and draws inspiration from the work of Felice Rix-Ueno (1893–1967), an Austrian-born textile and wallpaper designer who moved to Japan and became an influential figure in the modern art scene. Rix-Ueno immersed herself in Japanese culture and collaborated with local artisans, integrating traditional techniques with Viennese design sensibilities to produce richly organic and colorful works. Antunes’ research-based practice responds to such legacies, establishing a dialogue not only with Rix-Ueno but also with figures like Lina Bo Bardi and Sophie Taeuber-Arp, continuing her investigation into the “voids, intervals, and joints” that shape how we inhabit and interpret space. She describes her work as “sculptures created in space,” distinguished by their precise craftsmanship and visual impact. They balance rigidity and flexibility, light and shadow, opacity and transparency, while drawing attention to spatial experience through meticulously calculated forms, textures, and display strategies.