The innovative multi-hyphenate, FKA Twigs opened her first major art exhibition in London on Saturday, in tandem with the release of her first single in four years, “EUSEXUA.”
The involvement of the power, energy and vulnerability of the human body has always played an integral part in FKA Twigs’ musical and performative work, an art form which translates effortlessly into this exhibit.
“The Eleven”— an avant-garde durational installation conceived by the visionary artist takes place this month at Sotheby’s from the 14th to the 26th of September. Described by the managing director at Sotheby’s, Cécile Bernard, as an “unprecedented opportunity for visitors to witness the unique intersection of contemporary art, music and movement close up,” it is the first abstracted experience of its kind to be presented within the storied venue in its 280-year history. Yet FKA Twigs describes it as “the perfect space—full of artworks by the great masters I studied and loved … there’s something subversive about birthing my piece in such an established institution.“
Encouraged by the tenacity of women such as Madonna, Tracey Emin and Marina Abramović, FKA twigs choreographed a sequence of movement mantras for “The Eleven”, informed by somatic healing and designed to prompt meditation, reflection and change. “Over the past few years, I’ve been on a huge healing journey and have had to really learn how to use and how to live in my body again,” she told Mission of this cathartic process. Thus this durational artwork serves as a reflection of the artist’s resilience and the vitality of healing. Performed by a diverse, rotating cast of “movers,” each of the eleven movements mirrors one of the eleven “pillars of life” that the singer and classically trained dancer has turned to in times of adversity and to enhance her everyday routine. These movements and their inherent symbolism serve to showcase the unblemished beauty of the human experience and the freedom that can be found in self-expression.
“Over the past few years, I’ve been on a huge healing journey and have had to really learn how to use and how to live in my body again.”
FKA TWIGS
The performance is accompanied by a soundtrack composed by musician and producer, Matteo Chiarenza-Santini, which amalgamates elements from the genres of techno, chamber and experimental electronic music.
It is further complemented by the creation of 14 large-scale photographs by FKA Twigs and her partner, the photographer and film director Jordan Hemingway. In addition, there is a room devoted to the artist’s meticulous research processes- chronicled through her personal sketchbook, excerpts of inspirational texts and an insightful series of polaroids.
The inspiration and the guiding force behind ‘The Eleven’ and FKA Twigs’ highly anticipated forthcoming album is the concept of “Eusexua” — the name of the album’s titular track. A neologism coined by the artist, “Eusexua” is a term intended to encapsulate a state of profound clarity and creativity. Speaking to Mission at the opening of “The Eleven,” she describes it as a “pinnacle of human experience,” a moment of epiphany centred around the “11 pillars of the mind” which she then channelled into her choreography. “That’s what I hope the dancers are feeling right now,” she says. “I find that when I look after those elements- when I limit my belongings, when I’m not on my phone all the time, when I eat well and when I look after the friends that I have…that’s when these moments of “Eusexua” become more frequent and as an artist, that’s where I want to be.”
“I’m lucky to be part of a generation before phones…I grew up in the countryside and I was 23 or 24 when I got my first proper smartphone.”
Speaking at Sotheby’s, FKA Twigs also underscores the importance of grounding oneself in spirituality and nature and how that can spur creativity. “Culture has gone so much into screens,” the artist shared, “so much in the algorithm, sometimes I’ve found myself not knowing what my opinion is or whether it’s just something that my phone picked up.” Now, she shares her aspirations to use her phone less frequently and instead hone her focus on her own development and self-discovery instead, “ I’m lucky to be part of a generation before phones… I grew up in the countryside and I was 23 or 24 when I got my first proper smartphone.” Expressing her gratitude for having experienced an upbringing in the Gloucestershire countryside “daydreaming” and “lying on the grass,” she explains, “It didn’t feel weird, it felt normal back then.” “Do you remember when you were a little child and you were face to face with a flower that was bigger than your eye and what it felt like to gaze into it? That’s how I want to feel about the wonders in my life….I want that feeling back.” And it is through this ambitious work of art that FKA Twigs endeavors to encapsulate that same sense of wonder and childlike curiosity.
Imagery courtesy of Sotheby’s. Inside image FKA Twigs and Jordan Hemingway.
