ART FILE 33 | "Björk" | Series: "From Art Exhibitions Around the World"
ART FILE 33 | New York, USA | The Museum of Modern Art
Tracing the Revolutionary Musician's 20-Year Journey
Björk (1)
Björk, the Icelandic songstress, has had her extensive 20-year career chronicled in a major retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, running until Sunday, June 7.
Text by TANAKA Junko (OPENERS)
An Event in Herself
Björk. Can you name another musician who has maintained such a pioneering spirit for so long, consistently generating buzz?
Born in Iceland in 1965, her titles include singer, singer-songwriter, composer, producer, and occasional actress. In her private life, she is also a mother of two. She entered the music world at the age of 12. After debuting with the album "Björk" and achieving explosive popularity in her home country, she disliked being labeled a "genius girl" and formed her own band at 13, embarking on her unique path.
In 1986, she married guitarist Sölvi Blöndal and gave birth to her son, Sindri. On the very day of her delivery, she formed the indie band "The Sugarcubes," which gained popularity not only in Iceland but also in English-speaking countries. After the band's dissolution, she released her solo album "Debut" in 1993. With its avant-garde sound incorporating jazz and house, it became a global hit.
French film director Michel Gondry, known for "Eternal Sunshine," is a frequent collaborator on Björk's work. Their first joint project was the music video for "Human Behaviour," released in 1993. Gondry gained widespread recognition with this work.
Since then, she has continued her musical endeavors, refusing to be confined to a single genre, exploring rock, trip-hop, and classical music. Her nine albums to date* have all been met with shock and awe. Her experimental beats and her delicate yet powerful voice, like a cry from the soul. But the shock factor wasn't limited to her music. From album covers and costumes to instruments and music videos (MV), she infused everything that could be called an expression with her unique "Björk-ness."
What's interesting is that this "Björk-ness" wasn't solely her achievement. Film directors, photographers, designers, contemporary artists... Her career has been shaped by numerous collaborations with the era's most sought-after talents. Does Björk seek them out, or do they seek out Björk? Regardless, her knack for enlisting the most current artists, from emerging talents to masters, is truly remarkable.
The late Alexander McQueen, who designed the "Bell Dress" worn in the MV for "Who Is It" (from the album "Medúlla"), and the photography duo Inez & Vinoodh, who shot the album cover for "Biophilia." Some artists even rose to prominence thanks to Björk's patronage.
For the album cover of "Post," released in 1995, she wore a white jacket designed to resemble an airmail envelope, created by British designer Hussein Chalayan.
For the MV of "All Is Full of Love," she commissioned British filmmaker/VJ Chris Cunningham, who created the fantastical story of two humanoid robots in love.
The photography duo Inez & Vinoodh, now world-renowned, also gained attention when Björk featured them for the album cover of "Biophilia."
*Nine albums: Her latest, "Vulnicura," was urgently released two months ahead of schedule in January of this year due to an online leak of the audio.
ART FILE 33 | New York, USA | The Museum of Modern Art
Tracing the Revolutionary Musician's 20-Year Journey
Björk (2)
Experience Music Through Sight and Sound
Björk's first retrospective exhibition, aptly titled "Björk," traces her journey over approximately 20 years since "Debut." The exhibition is curated by Klaus Biesenbach, Chief Curator at MoMA, also known for his successful curation of the Kraftwerk retrospective "Kraftwerk: Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8."
This exhibition, which took a full 15 years to realize after the initial offer, fulfills Björk's single request: "Music first, second, and third. Above all, make it an exhibition where music is the star." Biesenbach masterfully delivered on this vision, creating an exhibition that allows visitors to see, hear, and experience music.
Upon entering, visitors are greeted in the lobby by unique instruments used during the "Biophilia" tour. Custom-made instruments like the "Gravity Harp," which uses gravity to produce sound, and the "Singing Tesla Coil," which creates visually and audibly striking lightning using high-voltage transformers, are all inspired by natural phenomena. The sight of these elaborate setups playing music on their own is breathtaking.
The exhibition also features costumes that have consistently generated buzz. Pictured here is Björk on stage in 2013, wearing a headpiece designed by Japanese designer Maiko Takeda.
In the "Maron Atrium" on the second floor, MVs created in collaboration with artists from around the world and across time—including her close collaborator Michel Gondry ("Human Behaviour," "Bachelorette," etc.), Chris Cunningham ("All Is Full of Love"), Spike Jonze ("It's Oh So Quiet"), and Eiko Ishioka ("Cocoon")—are screened. Also on display are the innovative costumes, props, photographs, and album covers featured in these MVs, presented alongside each work.
However, Björk's approach goes beyond mere display. Visitors are handed audio guides, allowing them to wander through each exhibit while listening to a blend of songs and fairy tales penned by Icelandic poet Sjón—tales that blur the lines between fact and fiction, with Björk herself as the protagonist.
The MVs and album covers, each presenting a completely different facet of Björk, are arguably her most iconic representations. Long-time fans can reminisce about the past, while newcomers can immerse themselves in this "treasure trove of collaborations" spread across the floor, overwhelmed by her sheer presence.
Furthermore, a video installation created for this exhibition features "Black Lake," a song from her latest album, "Vulnicura." This approximately 10-minute video, showcasing landscapes symbolic of Björk's homeland—caves, valleys, lava fields, and marshes—delves deeply into the song's themes of pain, healing, and rebirth.
"Black Lake," an original work for this exhibition, was a collaboration between Andrew Thomas Huang, who garnered attention for the MV of "Mutual Core," MoMA, and Björk. Filmed over three days in the freezing Icelandic winter, the piece features a song from her latest album, "Vulnicura."
The Diva's Exhibition Sparks Controversy
Incidentally, critics who saw the exhibition early have offered both praise and criticism. For instance, Jason Farago, a journalist based in the US, wrote in The Guardian under the headline "A Surprisingly Unfocused Hodgepodge of an Exhibition," stating, "It doesn't reveal the avant-garde aspects of Björk's work or offer deep insights. It merely presents her career as a fairy tale through attractions akin to a Hard Rock Cafe (or Madame Tussauds). It's a chaotic mess." However, he also conceded that "it's worth seeing."
To attempt a "defense" using his words, it could be argued that this very "hodgepodge" and "chaotic" nature is what has defined Björk. Each collaboration differs, and so does the style. It's understandable, then, that it might appear as a "hodgepodge." And perhaps this seemingly "chaotic" path she has forged is precisely the way of life that captivates us, the audience.
Still,David Bowie IsIn an era where retrospective exhibitions featuring musicians, like the "David Bowie Is" show, are no longer uncommon, it's quite fitting for Björk to continue to provoke both praise and criticism without resorting to a conventionally "good" presentation.
Just as Björk once caused a stir by appearing at the Academy Awards in a swan-shaped "Swan Dress," only to casually dismiss it by saying, "It's just a dress," one can imagine her whispering about this exhibition, regardless of its reception: "It's just an exhibition."
Björk
Venue | The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Dates | March 8 (Sun) - June 7 (Sun), 2015
Hours | 10:30 - 17:30 (Fridays until 20:00)
Admission | General $25 / Seniors (65+) $18 / Students (High School & College) $14 / Children (16 and under) Free
*Free admission on Fridays from 16:00 to 20:00 during Uniqlo Free Friday Nights
Address | 11 West 53 Street, New York, NY 10019 America
Tel. +1-212-708-9400
http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/1501