M.I.A x Versace
She has also released a book and is making architectural art.
M.I.A must be the embodiment of the word multidisciplinary, setting back the release date of her forthcoming album Matangi to stick her fingers into some non-musical pies. These extracurricular activities include collaborating with Versace, contributing an "architectural piece" for the first Kochi-Muziris Biennale in Kerala, India, and releasing a self-titled book.
Thank you, M.I.A, for instilling in us feelings of non-achievement and inadequacy.
According to Spin, the Versace collaboration has been confirmed but details are scarce at this point. What we do know is that her role will constitute something more weighty than merely being the face of the brand (that is, looking cool but not doing much). Rejoice! We know this because (oops!) she accidentally projected an image of her desktop screen at an event over the weekend that showed folders called "Versace Prints," "Bootleg Versace," and "Versace Outlines." Connect the dots and you might deduce that M.I.A is putting in design time.
On matters of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, her contribution will apparently double as her stage set for her next tour.
And her book? That's the cover below. It's of the coffee table persuasion and acts as a compendium of her creative output. Released two weeks ago through Rizzoli, who also published Diplo's 128 Beats Per Minute, M.I.A merges artwork from previous albums with lyrics and essays, handy for anyone wishing to do some brain picking/light analytical work on the enigmatic rapper. According to Rizzoli, "The artwork comprises of a wide variety of materials and media: video stills turned to stencils pieced back together to make animated installations; spray-painted canvasses scanned then made into digital collages; photographs videotaped, then run through bad computer connections to create graphic prints; artwork on nails, walls, prints for T-shirts, handmade stage costumes—anything she could find while she was touring."
Check out the very dynamic, fairly nauseating (positive connotations!) teaser for her book below:
Melissa Kenny
