On the 18th of May, at 10 am, the launch of The Notebooks of My Life took place at Atelier Joana Vasconcelos. The event, anticipating ARCOlisboa's return to Cordoaria Nacional, was attended by the editor Lucia Bertazzo.

Within the celebration of Joana Vasconcelos' 50th birthday, Urucum had access to her notebook archive, developing a project of luxury editions based on her notes and studies throughout the years. As we dive into the first copy, from 1989, we find the world and the artist's creative process: moodboards, visual poems, small notes, collages, photographs and even phone numbers. Endowed with excellent craftsmanship, these historical documents are enclosed in a large-format box-case (48 x 38 cm) signed by the artist. Each book has a limited edition of 9 copies, is printed on bamboo fiber paper weighing 300 grams and comes accompanied by a single panel of 12 tiles and a reproduction of a letter by writer Valter Hugo Mãe. The 10 published books have officially been presented to the Portuguese public after its exhibition at the prestigious ArtsLibris at ARCOmadrid 2022. A percentage of their sales will go towards charity causes supported by the Joana Vasconcelos Foundation.

Founded by Lucia Bertazzo, Urucum is the Portuguese successor to the Brazilian UQ! Editions which, together with Leonel Kaz, has produced graphic projects based on originals by artist Pedro Cabrita Reis or writer José Eduardo Agualusa. These editions are present in several international collections, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art or the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, among others. More details can be found at: www.urucum.com 

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