Last October, M.I.A. released a self-titled book documenting her beginnings as a fine artist before deciding to pursue music. She studied film-making at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, lived in a house of artists in West London, and was on her way to fame in the art world. While some already know that she designs her own album covers and a lot of her own clothing, she's done much more to innovate within the mediums of photography, graphic design, film, and animation than most realize.
And that's where we come in. It was hard to pick only 10 out of M.I.A.'s many art moments, but we did. Enjoy.
M.I.A.'s Top 10 Art Moments
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10. She Had Her First Art Show at a Clothing Store on London's Portobello Road
9. She Was Nominated for an Alternative Turner Prize in 2001
8. She Was the Tour Photographer and an Art Director for the Band, Elastica
7. She Pioneered the GIF
7. She Pioneered the GIF
During a talk at MoMA PS1 to promote her self-titled book last November, M.I.A. revealed that she was essentially making GIFs before they became widely used or popular. She did them using herself as the subject on her best friend's computer and on an early version of Photoshop. She said, "It was not great, but it was a way for me to learn his computer. I made this frame-by-frame. I'd cut the background out-now it's just a click of a button, but back then, that was what I did for two weeks. I'd make this loop, which is now like a GIF, and that was enough." Doing these early animations and hand-made GIFs became the foundation for more complex works that she's created today.
6. She Created a Series of Art Websites With OkFocus For Her /\/\ /\ Y /\ Album
5. She Created "Proto-Viral" Youtube Videos For Songs on Her MAYA Album
5. She Created "Proto-Viral" Youtube Videos For Songs on Her /\/\ /\ Y /\ Album
M.I.A. made "proto-viral" videos that looped visuals and sophisticated animations on her "World Town" Youtube channel. They have since been deleted, but while they were up, many saw these videos as art pieces that supplemented her music videos and added dimension to her songs.