Pilar Zeta
Pilar Zeta | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Pilar Zeta 15 June 1986 Buenos Aires,Argentina |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2009–present |
| Website | pilarzeta |
Pilar Zetais an Argentine multimedia artist, graphic designer and creative director currently based inMexico City.She is best known for hersurrealiststyle, which was inspired byancient Egyptandcosmology.After meetingPhil Harvey,from BritishrockbandColdplay,she made artworks forA Head Full of Dreams(2015),Everyday Life(2019),Music of the Spheres(2021) andMoon Music(2024), the former being nominated in theBest Recording Packagecategory at the63rd Annual Grammy Awards.
Her efforts also include creative direction forLil Nas X's debut album,Montero(2021), andCamila Cabello's "Don't Go Yet"music video, which received aClio Award.During the same year, she designedHall of Visions,an installation atFaena Hotelfor Miami Art Week. In 2022, Zeta launchedThe Space of VariationsandFuture Transmutation,with the former being her first solo exhibition. She then createdDoors of Perception,an installation exhibited atGalerie Philiain 2023.
Early life
[edit]Pilar Zeta was born on 15 June 1986 inBuenos Aires,Argentina.[1]She began to draw and paint at six years old,[2]with her mother (an art history teacher) being a "driving force" for non-traditional inspirations such asmetaphysics,indigo childrenphilosophies and theparanormal.[3]Moreover, she used to be taken to various art museums by her father, becoming "so overwhelmed with the colors and techniques that as soon as I was home I was trying" to recreate the artworks seen.[2]With her brother owning a record collection, Zeta enjoyed investigating album covers used by bands includingPink Floyd,the Alan Parsons ProjectandLed Zeppelin.[4]
She has also commented "obsessing over them" was among the things which helped her decide what she would later do for a living: combine visual and musical art "into an amazing magical blend".[2]Another source of inspiration was dressing herself from a young age and making her own clothing from the age of 13.[5]Zeta then became a user of softwares likeCorel DrawandPhotoshopduring her teenage years,[5]spending "hours doing different drawings and making color collages" which she liked to print.[2]Her favourite subject while in school was computers.[2]The artist affirmed being "fully trained" by the end of her senior year as well, hence why she never went to college to learn graphic design.[5]
Career
[edit]First years
[edit]After graduating from high school, Zeta enrolled on a fashion course for two months, but abandoned it because she was not "a fan of learning in an institutional environment".[5]She then moved to the United States as an exchange student at the age of 19 and got her first graphic design job.[4]In 2009, she was based inBerlinto exhibit her works in galleries fromLondonandMoscow.[6]The artist had also worked forIslandandBig Beat Recordsby 2011, plus joined art collective Outland, which held various exhibitions and shows in Europe.[6]She later met producerJimmy Edgarand founded the label Ultramajic with them,[4]eventually becoming part of theelectronic musicscene.[7]Zeta then decided to prioritize her artistic efforts and launched an installation at Los Angeles'Standard Hotelin January 2015.[8]
Commercial work
[edit]Still in 2015, the artist began to be represented by MAAVVEN, an agency sending weekly newsletters to advertise their launch at the time.[9]One of them included aGIFimage she designed and it was found byColdplay's creative directorPhil Harvey,who commissioned a piece for the band's seventh studio albumA Head Full of Dreams.[9]Zeta collaborated with them on a studio in London to make a three meters handmade collage with images from their childhood.[9]The final result was edited into a kaleidoscope and a colorful version of theflower of lifewas added to the center, becoming the record's cover.[9]Zeta has been working as Coldplay's art director ever since.[10]She then made select designs forKaty Perry's "Teenage Dream"onWitness: The Tour(2017–18).[11]
Her partnership with the latter singer also included directing his performance of "Come Through and Chill" and "Sky Walker"at the18th BET Awards.[12]Similarly, she directed music videos forBea Miller's "It's Not U It's Me"and"Feel Something".[13]Resuming her activities with Coldplay, Zeta designedEveryday Life(2019) and earned aBest Recording Packagenomination at the63rd Grammy Awards.[14]She then created visuals for their ninth album,Music of the Spheres(2021),[10]accompanied by fellow artist Victor Scorrano. During the same period,Lil Nas Xcommissioned her work as art director forMonteroand she was hired byCamila Cabellofor the music video of "Don't Go Yet",which won her aClio Award.[15]In 2022, Zeta directed a video campaign forCarolina Herrera'sHot! Hot! Hot!fragrance, while 2023 saw her directingThe Second Self,a fashion film for Bimba y Lola.[16]
Art exhibitions
[edit]
Zeta was commissioned by Faena Art to make a large scale installation atFaena Hotelfor Miami Art Week in 2021.[17]TermedHall of Visions,the project featured a sculpture namedHatch,which depicted a cracked egg and referenced a moment of "renaissance and realization".[18]It has also been described as a tribute tomadíand the history ofart deco.[19]Argentine newspaperClarínpraised the "triumphant arches", calling "back an hotel as much as a temple".[20]Deepak Chopraheld a meditation session in the installation,[21]which ranked among the "must-see" works of the event.[22]Hall of Visionswas then animated into a video and split into five excerpts that were auctioned off asNFTsthrough a collaboration with marketplace Aorist.[19]
In the following year, Zeta launchedThe Space of Variations(2022), her debut solo exhibition.[23]The event was held at Los Angeles' Praz Delavallade and included "surrealistic landscapes, neo-metaphysical concepts, bold colors, and abstract shapes".[23]Similarly, the works were inspired by quantum physics, "esoteric knowledge and the history of ideas which create alternative interpretations for reality".[24]According to her interview forVogue Spain,humanity is entering "the age of the sixth digital sense, but we cannot forget we are physical beings", which is why the exhibition focuses on the "connection between these two worlds".[24]Animated pieces were part of the exhibition aside from the physical artworks as well.[25]
She then took part in Miami Art Week once again by creatingFuture Transmutation(2022), a "large-scale sculptural garden" specifically for the path of "mathematics, astronomy and occult philosophies as creative devices".[26]Presented in partnership withW Hotelsand the Mambo Creatives agency, the setup was completely glazed in shades of purple,[26]which is considered by Zeta "the color for transmutation", as it is right "between red and blue".[27]In February 2023, she designed an installation calledDoors of Perception,which was part of theAntipodesexhibition atMexico City'sGalerie Philia.[28]It featured smooth surfaces and soft textures, being displayed alongside "rough and organically shaped" sculptures from Andrés Monnier.[29]British magazineDezeendescribed the setup as "a tribute to an ethereal and non-tangible space as her thoughts, represented and created on a digital world but [ultimately] materialized by rock".[28]The artist also introduced her first collection of collectible furnitures,[28]which included pieces such as tables and chess pieces.[29]
Influences
[edit]Visual
[edit]
Zeta's style is heavily influenced by her upbringing and an interest inancient Egypt,cosmologyandmetaphysics.[30]She has citedStudio Alchimia,Leonora Carrington,Hilma af Klint,René Magritte,Joan MiróandMariko Morias inspirations, with the third being a reference for the symbolic and the occult.[31]Her works have been compared toSalvador Dalías well.[31]According to American magazineFlaunt,she adopts a "pastel postmodernist aesthetic".[3]Moreover, the artist affirmed her visuals are defined by "minimalist, surrealist landscapes, her bold use of color, and of deconstructed shapes", coining the term "mystical futurism" to describe them.[32]
While she prioritizes working withsoftwaresbecause they make her feel "more comfortable and free when it's time to create",[31]Zeta has used multiple mediums throughout her career, which includes drawing and scanning her own art, using photographs fromflea marketsand old books for collages, and producing her own resources from shapes to textures.[2]Additionally, she commented wanting her works to be "immersive",[33]so people can connect with "[their higher selves]".[34]In 2022, the artist began to explore with furniture designs at her own house, "playing withFeng Shui's principles and creating surrealist pieces that have function, but also a subconscious meaning ".[31]
Musical
[edit]Following the release ofMoments of Reality(2018), Zeta affirmed her sound was shaped by an obsession with postmodern furniture: "I was trying to redecorate my house while we were doing the music. All these lines crossed, and after a while, we just had all the songs for the album, and making the artwork was just so easy because it was part of it".[35]The record has been described as anexperimental,[36]new-agerelease.[37]Jimmy Edgarhelped her produce the songs, which were influenced by Japanese musicianHaruomi Hosonoand pioneering synth-pop groupArt of Noisewhile she tried to fulfill her desire of fitting art, music, and clothing "seamlessly" together into one cohesive aesthetic.[35]
Discography
[edit]- Moments of Reality(2018)
Other credits
[edit]| Year | Work | Artist | Label | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Sweeter Than | Audiofly | Supernature(SPNX010) | Design·artwork |
| 2010 | Sweeter Than (The Remixes) | Supernature(SPN0106) | ||
| Betta Days | Zev | Supernature(SPN014) | ||
| Captain My Captain | Pan-Pot | Mobilee(MOBILEE 071) | ||
| Heartbeats | Various | Supplement Facts(SFR026) | ||
| 2011 | Time to Lose It | Dinky | Visionquest | Design |
| Bittersweet | Rodriguez Jr. | Mobilee | ||
| Where The Freaks Have No Name | Benoit & Sergio | Visionquest(VQ001) | Design·artwork | |
| Visionquest Beach Collection | Various | Visionquest(VQ005) | ||
| "Mr. Duke" | Sebo K | Mobilee(MOBILEE 080) | ||
| Step Aside | Life and Death | Visionquest(VQ009) | ||
| Visionquest Fall Winter Collection | Various | Visionquest(VQ007) | ||
| 2012 | Iron Triangle | Hobo | M-nus | Design |
| So Far... | Various | Mixmag | ||
| Get Lost V | Acid Pauli | Crosstown Rebels | ||
| This One's for the Children | Jimmy Edgar | Hotflush Recordings(HF033) | Design·artwork[a] | |
| The Picture | Tiga | Crosstown Rebels(CRM100) | Design·artwork | |
| "Sea" | Roosevelt | Greco-Roman(GREC025D) | ||
| From the Vaults | Jay Haze | Supernature(SPN021) | ||
| Good Times (Part 1) | Ray Okpara | Mobilee(MOBILEE 101) | ||
| 2013 | Times | David August | Diynamic Music | Artwork |
| Singal Flow | Dirty Hands | Touch of Class | ||
| Hot Inside | Jimmy Edgar | Ultramajic(LVX001) | Design·artwork | |
| Metaphysix I: Mentalism | Aden·Creepy Autograph | Ultramajic(LVX002) | ||
| 2014 | Twenty Scope | Alix Alvarez | Endless Records | Artwork |
| Names | Treasure Fingers·Bosco | Fool's Gold Records(FGR107) | Design·artwork | |
| Mercurio | Jimmy Edgar | Ultramajic(LVX003) | Design·artwork[a] | |
| Whip | Aden | Ultramajic(LVX004) | Design·artwork | |
| Silicon | Danny Daze | Ultramajic(LVX005) | Design[a] | |
| Four | Aden | Ultramajic(LVX006) | Design·artwork[a] | |
| Metaphysix II: Rhythm | Various | Ultramajic(LVX007) | ||
| Rub | Chambray | Ultramajic(LVX009) | Artwork[a] | |
| Circlon | Spatial | Ultramajic(LVX010) | Design·artwork | |
| Saline | Jimmy Edgar | Ultramajic(LVX012) | Artwork[a] | |
| 2015 | A Head Full of Dreams | Coldplay | Parlophone | Art direction·artwork |
| 2017 | Witness: The Tour | Katy Perry | Capitol | Design |
| 7°CN | CNBLUE | FNC Entertainment | Art direction·artwork | |
| 2018 | Ascension Tour | Miguel | ByStorm·RCA | Creative direction |
| "Sky Walker"(Live atBET Awards) | Live performance direction[a] | |||
| "Come Through and Chill"(Live atBET Awards) | ||||
| 2019 | "It's Not U It's Me" | Bea Miller·6LACK | Hollywood | Music video direction |
| "Feel Something" | Bea Miller | |||
| Everyday Life | Coldplay | Parlophone | Art direction·design | |
| 2020 | A View of U | Machinedrum | Ninja Tune | |
| "Malibu" | Kim Petras | Amigo·Republic | Music video direction | |
| 2021 | Cheetah Bend | Jimmy Edgar | Innovative Leisure | Design·artwork |
| "Don't Go Yet" | Camila Cabello | Epic | Creative direction[b] | |
| "Higher Power" | Coldplay | Parlophone | Art direction·design | |
| Music of the Spheres | Art direction·artwork | |||
| Montero | Lil Nas X | Columbia | Art direction | |
| Big Bunny | Playboy | — | Creative direction[b] | |
| 2022 | Hot! Hot! Hot! | Carolina Herrera | Creative direction | |
| 2024 | Moon Music | Coldplay | Parlophone | Art direction·design |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Pilar Zeta: Dicen que los Artistas no Nos Podemos Vender, Pero Yo Creo que Es Necesario También para Sobrevivir"[Pilar Zeta: They Say That Artists Can't Sell Themselves, But I Think It's Also Necessary to Survive].Vogue Spain(in Spanish). 2 October 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 12 June 2023.Retrieved12 June2023.
- ^abcdef"A Chat with Pilar Zeta".Women in Dance Music.16 March 2014.Archivedfrom the original on 11 June 2023.Retrieved11 June2023.
- ^ab"Pilar Zeta | A Trip Through the Cosmos".Flaunt.2022.Archivedfrom the original on 11 June 2023.Retrieved11 June2023.
- ^abc"Pilar Zeta, la Argentina que Sedujo a Coldplay"[Pilar Zeta, the Argentine Who Seduced Coldplay].La Nación(in Spanish). 14 February 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 11 June 2023.Retrieved11 June2023.
- ^abcd"Pilar Zeta on Her Holographic Universe".Inverted Audio.11 September 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 11 June 2023.Retrieved11 December2021.
- ^ab"Pilar Zeta".Courtney Dootson.2023.Archivedfrom the original on 12 June 2023.Retrieved12 June2023.
- ^"Under the Covers: Pilar Zeta".RA.11 October 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 11 June 2023.Retrieved12 June2023.
- ^"Art to Hold Your Interest – Pilar Zeta".A Gallery.2015.Archivedfrom the original on 12 June 2023.Retrieved12 June2023.
- ^abcd"Interview: Pilar Zeta (AHFOD Artwork Creator)".Coldplay Official Website.20 December 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 11 June 2023.Retrieved11 June2023.
- ^abColdplay (2021).Music of the Spheres(CD liner notes). Europe: Parlophone. 0190296666988.
- ^"The Dream of the 90's Is Alive in an Artist's Portland Home".Apartment Therapy.29 April 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 12 June 2023.Retrieved12 June2023.
- ^"Pilar Zeta to Release New Album Moments of Reality on October 5, 2018".Top 40.24 September 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 13 June 2023.Retrieved13 June2023.
- ^"Feel Something: Bea Miller's New Clip".Kodd.4 September 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 13 June 2023.Retrieved13 June2023.
- "Bea Miller & 6LACK's Cosmic It's Not U It's Me Video Preaches Self-Love".Idolator.11 April 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 13 June 2023.Retrieved13 June2023.
- ^"Grammys 2021: Complete List of Winners and Nominees".CBS News.15 March 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 11 June 2023.Retrieved12 December2021.
- ^"Lil Nas X Montero".Pilar Zeta Official Website.2021.Archivedfrom the original on 13 June 2023.Retrieved13 June2023.
- "Camila Cabello – Don't Go Yet | Film/Video (Music Videos)".Clio Awards.2022.Archivedfrom the original on 12 June 2023.Retrieved12 June2023.
- ^"Carolina Herrera Hot! Hot! Hot!".Pilar Zeta Official Website.2022.Archivedfrom the original on 13 June 2023.Retrieved13 June2023.
- "La Colección que Te Invita a Vivir el Arte de Pilar Zeta a Través de Tus Outfits"[The Collection That Invites You to Live the Art of Pilar Zeta Through Your Outfits].Glamour(in Spanish). 16 May 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 26 June 2023.Retrieved26 June2023.
- ^"Miami Art Week: Um Universo Artístico em Expansão"[Miami Art Week: An Artistic Universe in Expansion].L'Officiel Brasil(in Portuguese). 29 November 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 11 June 2023.Retrieved11 June2023.
- ^"Pilar Zeta en Miami: Monumental Site Specific y Clips Futuristas NFT"[Pilar Zeta in Miami: Site Specific Monumental and Futuristic NFT Clips].Regia(in Spanish). 6 December 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 11 June 2023.Retrieved13 December2021.
- ^ab"4 Must-See Public Art Installations at Miami Art Week".Daily Sabah.6 December 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 11 June 2023.Retrieved11 June2023.
- ^"Futurismo y Mística, en el Faena"[Futurism and Mysticism, in the Faena].Clarín(in Spanish). 1 December 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 11 June 2023.Retrieved13 December2021.
- ^"Metahuman Adventures in the Metaverse with Deepak Chopra".Facebook.13 December 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 14 June 2023.Retrieved14 June2023.
- Pilar Zeta [@pilar_zeta] (29 December 2021)."2021 has been such a dream come true!".Archivedfrom the original on 14 June 2023 – viaInstagram.
- ^"6 Must-See Exhibitions at Art Basel Miami 2021".Hypebae.3 December 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 11 June 2023.Retrieved12 December2021.
- ^ab"Pilar Zeta | The Space of Variations".Flaunt.20 May 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 12 June 2023.Retrieved14 June2023.
- ^ab"The Space of Variations, la Primera Exposición en Solitario de la Artista Pilar Zeta, Explora Nuestro Sexto Sentido Digital".Vogue Spain.24 May 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 12 June 2023.Retrieved14 June2023.
- ^"The Space of Variations Exhibition Opens in Los Angeles".Arts & Collections.17 May 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 14 June 2023.Retrieved14 June2023.
- ^ab"Así Son las dos Instalaciones Artísticas que Pilar Zeta y Miranda Makaroff han Presentado en Miami"[These are the Two Artistic Installations That Pilar Zeta and Miranda Makaroff Have Presented in Miami].Forbes(in Spanish). 7 December 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 12 June 2023.Retrieved14 June2023.
- ^"Pilar Zeta Channels Her Ideal Self with Future Transmutation in Miami".Paper.13 December 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 12 June 2023.Retrieved14 June2023.
- ^abc"Pilar Zeta and Andrés Monnier Create Contrasting Stone".Dezeen.15 February 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 12 June 2023.Retrieved14 June2023.
- ^ab"Andrés Monnier and Pilar Zeta Present Antipodes Rock Sculptures at Galerie Philia".Stir.4 March 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 14 June 2023.Retrieved14 June2023.
- ^"Pilar Zeta – Info".Pilar Zeta Official Website.2023.Archivedfrom the original on 11 June 2023.Retrieved11 June2023.
- ^abcd"Pilar Zeta. Transmutación Futura"[Pilar Zeta. Future Transmutation].Vanidad(in Spanish). 28 November 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 12 June 2023.Retrieved15 June2023.
- ^"W Hotels X Mambo Creatives to Unveil New Commissioned Works by Pilar Zeta and Miranda Makaroff at W South Beach During Art Basel Miami Beach"(Press release). PR Newswire. 17 November 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 15 June 2023.Retrieved17 November2022.
- ^"Hall of Visions Faena Art x Aorist".Pilar Zeta Official Website.2021.Archivedfrom the original on 15 June 2023.Retrieved15 June2023.
- ^"Doors of Perception".Pilar Zeta Official Website.2023.Archivedfrom the original on 15 June 2023.Retrieved15 June2023.
- ^ab"The Argentinian Artist Whose Colorful Closet and Music are Inspired by Postmodern Furniture".Vogue.24 December 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 11 June 2023.Retrieved11 June2023.
- ^"Crucial Material – Best Releases of the Week (October 26th, 2018)".Music Is My Sanctuary.28 October 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 14 June 2023.Retrieved14 June2023.
- ^"The Radio Milwaukee DJs' Top 10 Albums of the Year".Radio Milwaukee 88.9.12 December 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 14 June 2023.Retrieved14 June2023.
- ^"Pilar Zeta | Discography".Discogs.2023.Archivedfrom the original on 11 June 2023.Retrieved11 June2023.
- "Commercial Artwork".Pilar Zeta Official Website.2023.Archivedfrom the original on 11 June 2023.Retrieved11 June2023.
Further reading
[edit]- "Under the Covers: Pilar Zeta".RA.2012.
- "Interview: Pilar Zeta (AHFOD Artwork Creator)".Coldplay Official Website.2015.
- "The Argentinian Artist Whose Colorful Closet and Music are Inspired by Postmodern Furniture".Vogue.2018.
- "Pilar Zeta Channels Her Ideal Self with Future Transmutation in Miami".Paper.2022.
