S Poddar
FKA Twigs premiered her latest artistic work at Sotheby’s in London-a rather monumental moment in her career. Entitled The Eleven, the live performance art infuses her personal themes of healing and growth. This concert marks a companion record, her third album entitled Eusexua, which is a term Twigs has coined to represent deep moments of clarity when things just all connect.
The 36-year-old artist, born Tahliah Barnett, says it’s part of a transformational trip she’s been on for the last couple of years. “I’ve had to learn how to use and live in my body again,” she reflects. “That includes smaller things like personally making healthier decisions, but also attempting to navigate the emotional turmoil that’s been attached to my physicality for so long.”.
A full decade from her first album release, LP1, Twigs is a world away from the few years of being a backing dancer for some of the most prominent stars in the world, such as Kylie Minogue and Jessie J. The release of The Eleven now sees Twigs venture into new areas with a performance art exhibition tackling modern living, notably life with technology, finding balance, and coming into self-awareness.
Looking Back at the Modern Challenges with Movement
The Eleven engages 11 “movers” who perform choreographed movements, but only for 11 minutes at a time. Each movement is specifically designed to negotiate different modes of living in the present day. One such movement, addressing addiction to the screen, invites participants to register their intention and need to reach out for their phones-to just stay in the moment. Another section is on personal traits, taking a moment to reflect upon those little annoyances that happen in life, like why standing in line at a supermarket would make a person irritated. These movements are, according to Twigs, a way of creating calm and taking ownership of one’s life. “I wanted to focus on beautiful, wild, and free things without getting lost in all the noise,” she says. She hopes it does provide a sense of grounding and clarity in the viewer’s life.
An Artistic First for Sotheby’s
This is the first major exhibition for Twigs, but it’s also a milestone for Sotheby’s. The historic gallery has been open for 280 years but The Eleven is its first live performance art installation. Born of a background of ballet and opera, Twigs will be participating in some of the performances herself, sharing stage time with special guests, while bringing that energy and grace synonymous with her career.
The exhibition not only underlines Twigs’s artistic versatility but also her connect with influential figures in art and culture. She names women like Madonna, Marina Abramović, and Tracey Emin-who was a pen pal during Twigs’s teenage years-as muses. Their bravery and resilience, she says, has taught her to fight and be steadfast to her artistic vision.
I’ve always admired women who create something larger than themselves, despite challenges,” Twigs says. Her own experiences have given her plenty of material to draw from. “I feel like I could write ten albums just based on what I’ve been through from ages 16 to 18.”
A Raw and Authentic Self-Expression
Twigs’s practice is often deeply personal, and The Eleven is no exception. The show features a host of tender photographs and Polaroids that her romantic partner, photographer Jordan Hemingway, took of her. For Twigs, such images are less about exposure than veracity – proof that, indeed, her relationship to her physical form has changed over time. “I’ve been on a huge healing journey,” she says. “I’ve had to learn how to live in my body again.
One of the lead messages that comes out of The Eleven is release hang-ups over physical appearance. Twigs encourages audience members to touch, slap, and hold themselves in ways that release their inhibitions. “It’s about expressing ourselves,” she says. “It’s raw, wild, and ugly, but in that way it’s perfect.”
Her journey with healing has been shaped in both personal and external struggles.
She filed a lawsuit against her former partner, actor Shia LaBeouf, alleging abuse, four years ago; the case is set to go to trial next month. Meanwhile, the emotional toil hasn’t stopped Twigs from seeking strength in her art and her work with Sistah Space, a UK charity that supports women of African and Caribbean heritage affected by domestic abuse. She represents the organization, as her work aims at giving women voices after trauma. **Looking Ahead with *Eusexua* and New Projects
Twigs’s exhibition with Sotheby’s runs in conjunction with the release of her new album, Eusexua, a name she has invented to define those moments of epiphany when it all comes together. It would seem that this is a thrilling year for Twigs. In addition, she has an oncoming role in the reboot of The Crow, lined up alongside Swedish actor Bill Skarsgård, among other projects.
But in the maelstrom of her creativity, Twigs does manage to stay grounded. “I’ve always kept myself busy,” she says. “I love what I do and am grateful for opportunities to put my art out into the world.”
The Eleven is on view at Sotheby’s in London from September 14 to September 26, free for the public to experience. FKA Twigs’s third album Eusexua is available now.
