Anti-Crown
ANTI Crown, 2016
by Roy Nachum
Gold aluminium
ANTI was Rihanna's eighth album release, and her first since moving from Def Jam to the Roc Nation label. Marking a shift in her creative output, Rihanna purposefully stepped away from radio-friendly smashes towards a truer reflection of her eclectic interests and instincts. The album artwork features a young Rihanna in a crown, and a poem in braille that includes the lines: 'My voice is my suit and armour / My shield, and all that I am'.*
From the exhibition
DIVA
(June 2023 to April 2024)
DIVA celebrated the power and creativity of iconic performers, exploring and redefining the role of 'diva' and how this has been subverted or embraced over time across opera, stage, popular music, and film.
In the 16th century, as the female performer emerged from the all-male actor troupes, so did the diva. An Italian word commonly used since the 14th century to describe goddesses or deities, 'diva' became a fitting description for exceptional female performers whose divine talents made them appear other-worldly.
[*Victoria & Albert Museum]
Taken in the V&A
Anti-Crown
ANTI Crown, 2016
by Roy Nachum
Gold aluminium
ANTI was Rihanna's eighth album release, and her first since moving from Def Jam to the Roc Nation label. Marking a shift in her creative output, Rihanna purposefully stepped away from radio-friendly smashes towards a truer reflection of her eclectic interests and instincts. The album artwork features a young Rihanna in a crown, and a poem in braille that includes the lines: 'My voice is my suit and armour / My shield, and all that I am'.*
From the exhibition
DIVA
(June 2023 to April 2024)
DIVA celebrated the power and creativity of iconic performers, exploring and redefining the role of 'diva' and how this has been subverted or embraced over time across opera, stage, popular music, and film.
In the 16th century, as the female performer emerged from the all-male actor troupes, so did the diva. An Italian word commonly used since the 14th century to describe goddesses or deities, 'diva' became a fitting description for exceptional female performers whose divine talents made them appear other-worldly.
[*Victoria & Albert Museum]
Taken in the V&A