The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has revealed campaign art for the 93rd Oscars ceremony. This year’s theme is “Bring Your Movie Love” and features designs from seven international artists.
What’s Happening:
- As Award season continues, creators, performers, technicians and the public are gearing up for the prestigious Academy Awards.
- Nominations will be announced later this month and ABC will broadcast the Oscars on Sunday, April 25, 2021.
- In preparation for this year’s event, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has revealed the campaign art for the 93rd Oscars.
- The 2021 campaign’s tagline is “Bring Your Movie Love.” It celebrates a global appreciation for the power of film to foster connection, to educate and to inspire us to tell our own stories.
- The Academy invited seven international artists to create custom Oscar statuette art inspired by the question, “What do movies mean to you?”
- The artists are:
- Temi Coker
- Petra Eriksson
- Magnus Voll Mathiassen
- Michelle Robinson
- Karan Singh
- Victoria Villasana
- Shawna X
- This year’s campaign features an expanded color palette, broadening the artists’ approach to reimagining the iconic statuette.
- Ranging across illustration, motion design, painting, photography and textile art, the pieces are drawn from the artists’ diverse personal inspirations and experiences.
What They’re Saying:
- Temi Coker: “Movies mean a lot of things to a lot of people, but to me it’s about creativity, inspiration and the art of storytelling. As a Nigerian-American, I love watching movies that have people that look like me who tell our stories from our perspectives. It gives me hope knowing that Black actors, directors, writers have been given a chance to tell our stories on the big screens. I have been so inspired by Hattie McDaniel’s story and her perseverance to be the first Black woman to win an Oscar. In a lot of ways, she really paved the way for so many Black actors that you see today. I really believe ‘because she did, we can.’ That’s why I wanted to make the Oscar statuette Black––to honor all the Black actors, writers, directors and filmmakers who have really done a great job telling our stories. I wanted this artwork to be visually striking and colorful because that’s what I feel when I watch movies that have people that look like me. This representation transcends past film and into our lives. Our future kids/mentees will look at us and think ‘because they did, I can.’ Black representation matters and always will. I pray we never lose sight of that.”
- Petra Eriksson: “When thinking about what movies mean to me, I realized that the most important aspect is that it works as an escape from my reality into a different world. Through that, I get to experience another kind of life for a while, with the colors and the emotions that this different story entails. With my image, I wanted to create the feeling of being in a state where you’re surrounded by notes of this other world, whether that’s a specific visual style, a photo so vivid you can imagine the scent of the scenery or a song that brings out a certain emotion in you by reminding you of a forgotten memory.”
- Magnus Voll Mathiassen: “I see movies and movie fans as an interconnected being. Movies give experiences on all levels to people, and ordinary people’s lives inspire the industry, which then again brings fantastic and fantastical stories to the screen. This ecosystem of you and me and the film industry—a complex patchwork—is connected on all levels. It is film physiology: an organism where magic flows through its system. It is easy to forget that film art many times comes from our daily lives—it is distilled chaos and complexity, often made to enlighten and bring clarity, and that is what makes it art.”
- Michelle Robinson: “I drew my inspiration from the thoughtfully built structures that sheltered the genesis of movies: theaters. There is much to be admired about the stunningly ornate amphitheaters that were built during Hollywood’s golden era of the 1920s and ’30s. It was here, behind towering velvet curtains and beneath elaborately decorated walls and ceilings, that curious minds first began to fall in love with movies. I envisioned the Oscar silhouette encapsulated in an intricate framework that exemplifies the theater; a renowned figure centered proudly as the heart and soul within this architectural body. Theater & Performer—a sublime symbolism of body and soul.”
- Karan Singh: “My explorations were inspired by the ideas of harmony and unity. Although it’s been a tough year for us all to be together, film has helped entertain, distract, console and inspire. The Oscars are a celebration of this art form, casting the spotlight upon the diverse humans that bring these stories to life. My visuals are a celebration of these different walks of life. I’ve explored how we can visualize different elements coming together to create a unified form within and around the form of the iconic statue.”
- Victoria Villasana: “When I was younger, I was really into fashion and I used to get a lot of inspiration from movies. They inspired my style. I would dress up and pretend I was a character in my own movie. I think movies are an excellent vehicle to take you out into another world, it gives you the opportunity to put yourself in other people’s shoes. Movies create a bridge of communication, and it makes us understand deeper truths about our connection to each other as humans. They also allow us to play with our imagination and fantasize about other worlds.”
- Shawna X: “An eye is illuminated behind the silhouette of a statue. This visual is direct and to the point: We watch movies. What we absorb has an effect on our dopamine levels, whether it’s for pleasure, excitement or inspiration. Abstract patterns that reference energy arise from around the statue and eye, creating a shroud of colors and patterns.”