En Plein Air:Diamond Princess

WAVES at PAMM featuring Jacolby Satterwhite x Trina x Total Freedom

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Miami’s love of art and hip hop converged in the most unexpected way at Pérez Art Museum Miami’s April 30th edition of WAVES with the premiere of the Borscht Corp. and PAMM commissioned film “En Plein Air: Diamond Princess,” a collaboration from video artist Jacolby Satterwhite and Miami’s very own diamond princess, Trina (sometimes known as Da Baddest Bitch).

All began in typical Miami fashion – long lines at the bar, high heels, crisp button downs, and an indeterminate start time. Once the film began to flicker onto the screen, art/hip-hop patrons flooded the front of the stage to both watch and wait. Satterwhite – who you make recognize from Jay-Z’s Picasso Baby performance – has an extensive portfolio that culls “images from a collection of his mother’s drawings including objects of weaponry, architecture, armor, and clothing” melded with hip-hop and modern dance. The repetitive and hypnotic 3-D animated world of “En Plein Air” is filled with a uterus spaceship fueled by a steady stream of ovum, voguing men in spandex body suits, and Princess Trina on top of it all, kicking down in moon bounce platforms and rapping to the audience.  The video was accompanied with haunting sounds from producer/DJ TOTAL FREEDOM, mixing “No Pannies” with booming industrial beats.

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After about 10 minutes, Satterwhite’s work was replaced with a Trina music video supercut and cheers from the crowd. She finally emerged with a diamond microphone in hand, draped in a stone embellished sheer black dress. She appeared humble with a quiet power, blessing the crowd with hits “Long Heels Red Bottoms,” “Pull Over,” “Single Again,” “Nann Nigga” – though her lack of participation in the sexually explicit lyrics echoed rumors that she has become self-censoring over the past few years.

The performance seemed to have lasted 20 minutes or so. It was over too soon and I was left wanting more yet still satisfied by this curious combination. Where can hip-hop and art go next?

Perhaps a Trick Daddy x Laurel Nakadate collab.

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