In his hilarious new photographic works, My Cake music video and high-pitched electropop song filled with more innuendos than usual, artist Nuno Roque is on the road to become a pop sensation. No, My Cake is not really about a cake. In the video we see him...
Wearing a piano...
Cracking a whip in a Galliano suit...
And, of course, dressed as Disney's Snow White. Cleaning the floor...
Crying...
And being attacked by dozens of poisoned apples !!!
Oh, and then there's the lyrics...
The song is from his Identity series. Snow White inspired works like « The (Modern) Prince » are fun, but also have a hidden meaning. His work « Bullying » portrays dozens of apples being violently thrown at the male version of the Disney icon. It's not just about being funny, it's about exclusion and society's pressure. It's about being a misfit and being punished for it. In a psychedelic, over the top and entertaining way, the video shows the photos in movement.
With Nuno Roque, quotes like « My childhood was a drag show! » must be taken literally.
He's a former Portuguese child star who was raised as a girl!
Now in his 20s, he lives in Paris.
In a recent interview he admitted being traumatised by Disney movies. « When I was young and I was forced to watch Disney films, I would fast forward the good guys, wasn't interested in princes and princesses, only by the villains. »
In the video, he tries to escape the image other people have of him, one that does not match the one he has himself. Autobiographical? Perhaps. But although it's a music video, « My Cake » is taking its place in the art world premiering simultaneously in 6 European museums, and getting several art award nominations this month.
But wait !
If you think this is your average new singer, you are mistaken. Roque creates work across disciplines and is also a composer, actor, director and plastic artist. He'll have his first Parisian exhibition later this year where My Cake's « The Piano Body » will be on display.
By the way, why would you make a wearable piano?
When he appeared at the Pompidou Center in Paris last month to visit Jeff Koons' Retrospective, heads turned away from the Balloon Dog. By simply visiting an exhibition, the eccentric artist puts on quite a show. It's like watching a cartoon invading the real world. The bizarre comments and crazy fashion sense did not go unnoticed. Even the museum later tweeted « Like @nuno_roque, tame #Koons works ».
The most exciting thing about Roque, is that it's about time for us to have a guy in Pop culture who is fearless, fights stereotypes and disturbs the male artist archetype.
Besides his gender bending performance, he definitely speaks his mind and seems not to be afraid of what people think. If they were still around, Freddie Mercury and Salvador Dalí would be scared of the new competition.
INTERVIEW : Nuno Roque talks about "My Cake"
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Nuno Roque talks about the creation of 'My Cake', his inspirations, gives an exclusive look into his workshop, shares stories from behind the scenes, his childhood and more!
Snow White VS Nuno Roque ('I"m Wishing" Vs "My Cake")
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Snow White's I'm Wishing (1937) compared with Nuno Roque's My Cake (2015)
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