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Viktoria Modesta

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Viktoria Modesta
Modesta in 2022
Modesta in 2022
Background information
Birth nameViktorija Moskaļova
Born (1987-02-25) 25 February 1987 (age 37)
Daugavpils, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union
OriginUnited Kingdom
GenresElectronic, pop, dance
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, performance artist, model, actress
Websitewww.viktoriamodesta.com

Viktorija Moskaļova (Russian: Виктория Москалёва, romanized: Viktoriya Moskalyova; born 25 February 1987), better known as Viktoria Modesta, is a Latvian-born British singer-songwriter, performance artist, creative director, and model. Modesta's leg was injured during her birth. She had it voluntarily amputated in 2007. She was signed to IMG Models as a model, and as a musician she is also known as a "Bionic Pop Artist". Her music video "Prototype" received a Silver Lion Award at the Cannes Film Festival. She also performed at the 2012 Summer Paralympics closing ceremony and was a guest star at the Crazy Horse in Paris in 2019.[citation needed]

Early life

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Viktorija Moskaļova was born in Daugavpils in 1987, a town in the then Soviet-Latvia.[1] where she learned singing aged six at a local music school.[2] Moskaļova moved with her family from Latvia to the United Kingdom when she was 12-years-old.[3] Due to a doctor's negligence during her birth she was born with problems in her left leg. Her teenage mother was then pressured to send her to an orphanage. She refused and raised Modesta,[4] who spent most of her childhood in and out of hospitals.[2]

Career

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Modeling

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Modesta walks the runway for Chromat Autumn/Winter 2018

Moskaļova began modeling at the age of fifteen. She has appeared on subculture magazine covers such as Bizarre,[5][6] Skin Two,[7] in addition to appearing in mainstream magazines such as Elle, Vogue, and Harper's Bazaar.[8][9] As a runway model, she has worked at fashion shows in Milan, London and New York.[10][11] On 10 January 2015, Moskaļova signed with IMG Models worldwide.

Music

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Moskaļova attended a performance art school from the age of 6 in Daugavpils, Latvia studying piano, vocal performance and sheet music. In 2009, she launched her first musical writing collaborative project with musician/producer Nik Hodges. Her first written track "Jane Bond" was featured in Music Week Playlist.[12] In May 2010, Moskaļova was selected as one of the six best unsigned artists in the UK by Evo Music Rooms presented by Edith Bowman. The show was broadcast on Channel 4.[13] On 19 March 2010, Moskaļova released her first EP titled EP1.[14] On 28 May 2012, Moskaļova put out a digital, independent release of her debut single "Only You".[15] which was featured by i-D,[16] Wonderland[17] and Notion[18] magazines.

On 12 December 2014, she launched a collaboration with Channel 4 for the campaign Born Risky,[19] branding her as the world's first "Bionic Pop Artist" supported by the track "Prototype" released on Spotify for streaming. The video for the campaign was directed by Saam Farahmand. The video has received global attention, with over 12 million views on YouTube as of June 2019[20] and over 16 million on Channel 4's Facebook page. The story was publicised worldwide throughout news networks publications such as i-D Magazine, Upworthy, Forbes and Elle Magazine USA. The video for "Prototype" received a Silver Lion Award at the Cannes Film Festival. She has also performed at the Music Tech Fest in Berlin in 2016, and the Art Basel Miami in 2017.[21][22] She also collaborated with the British Council for a performance of Midsummer Night's Dream.[23]

She is a European Young Leader (EYL40) alumni[24] and joined the MIT Media Lab as a Director's Fellow.[25]

2012 Summer Paralympics closing ceremony

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Moskaļova performed as the 'Snow Queen' to a live performance of "42" by Coldplay at the 2012 Summer Paralympics closing ceremony in London directed by Kim Gavin in a 'Winter' section together with 6 warrior skaters from Dancing On Ice. Her performance wearing a Swarovski crystal-covered prosthetic leg was written about in The Times,[26] Grazia[27] and Look[28] magazines.

Crazy Horse Paris

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In June 2019, Moskaļova starred as "the Bionic Showgirl" in cabaret at the Crazy Horse in Paris.[20] She wore three custom ordered prosthetics for the performance: including a white pinnacle spike and a pinnacle that lit up in different neon colors from the interior. The show was created in tandem with Crazy Horse creative director Andrée Deissenberg and music producer Madeaux.[21] Her show was described as, "Challenging female stereotypes in her powerful performance," adding that she, "literally transforms the human body into art."[24]

Collaborations

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She has collaborated with companies on multi-media projects, including Rolls-Royce in her Black Badge video art film in 2019,[29] and the MIT Media Lab's Hugh Herr.[30][31] She has also partnered with United Nude for the creation of a high heeled shoe that could house the supporting electronics for Viktoria's prosthetic fitted with tesla coils worn in the Rolls-Royce Art Film,[32] Dutch designer Anouk Wipprecht,[33] designer Sophie de Oliveira Barata,[34] and director Jora Frantzis.[29] In 2016 she collaborated on the Alternative Limb Project, shown at the Boston Museum of Fine Art.[34]

Acting

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In 2017, Moskaļova appeared in the second episode of the third season of the SyFy Network's "Killjoys" as a "Hackmod" named Niko, featuring several of her iconic prosthetic legs. The soundtrack for the episode featured multiple occurrences of Moskaļova's "Prototype" single.[35][36]

Personal life

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In 2007, she had a voluntary below-the-knee leg amputation to improve her mobility and safeguard her future health. She had made the decision at the age of 15, however it took her five years to convince a surgeon to go through with the procedure.[1] Her physicality has become known for challenging the modern perception of altered beauty,[37] and has acted as an advocate for changing public views on the use of augmented body parts.[38]

Recognition

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She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2016.[39]

Discography

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Extended plays

  • EP1 (2010)[14]
  • Counterflow (2016)[40]
  • MOKSHA (2021)

Singles

References

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  1. ^ a b "Viktoria Modesta, the world's first amputee pop star : 'If you don't fit in, then don't fit in'". TheGuardian.com. 20 December 2014.
  2. ^ a b Viktoria Modesta Moskalova: The Modern Perception Of Altered Beauty, 5election, Retrieved 26 November 2016
  3. ^ "Modesta kāju zaudējusi Latvijas ārstu nolaidības dēļ" (in Latvian). Delfi.lv. 16 December 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  4. ^ "Meet the British amputee set to be the new star of Paris' Crazy Horse cabaret". 31 May 2019.
  5. ^ "'Christmas Issue' 2009". Bizarremag.com. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  6. ^ "June issue 2008". Bizarremag.com. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  7. ^ "Skin Two | Sexy Latex Fashion". Skintwo.co.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  8. ^ "Interview with Viktoria Modesta, example of a new femininity - Vogue.it".
  9. ^ "Amputee Pop Star Viktoria Modesta Doesn't Care if You're Uncomfortable". 22 December 2014.
  10. ^ "SERGEI GRINKO Viktoria Modesta Photostream". Zimbio. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  11. ^ "Meet Viktoria Modesta, the World's First Bionic Model". 23 March 2015.
  12. ^ "Music Week playlist 20 July 2009". Musicweek.com. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  13. ^ "Channel 4 listing". Channel4.com. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  14. ^ a b "Viktoria Modesta on Facebook". Facebook. Archived from the original on 30 April 2022.[dead link][user-generated source]
  15. ^ "Only You (Radio Edit) – Single by Viktoria Modesta". Music.apple.com. 28 May 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  16. ^ "iD magazine article". Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  17. ^ "The Rise and Rise ... Viktoria Modesta". Wonderland (interview). 27 April 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  18. ^ Blankson, Alix (15 March 2012). "New Music—The gorgeous Viktoria Modesta". Planet Notion. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  19. ^ "BornRisky - Channel 4". 22 October 2013. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  20. ^ a b "Bionic Showgirl shakes up cabaret" (with video, 1 min, 45 secs). BBC News. 9 June 2019.
  21. ^ a b "Crazy Horse's 'Bionic Showgirl' Shakes up Cabaret Beauty Standards". 7 June 2019.
  22. ^ "The Evolution of the First Bionic Pop Artist | Make". 9 May 2016.
  23. ^ "Viktoria Modesta: Not Your Grandfather's Shakespeare Interpreter". 20 October 2016.
  24. ^ a b "Viktoria Modesta is the New Bionic Showgirl at Crazy Horse Paris". 7 May 2019.
  25. ^ "Announcement". Medium.com. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  26. ^ "VIKTORIA MODESTA : NEWS". Archive.today. Archived from the original on 5 February 2013.
  27. ^ "Viktoria Modesta". Facebook.com. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  28. ^ "Look Magazine article". Archived from the original on 3 April 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  29. ^ a b "Viktoria Modesta x Rolls Royce".
  30. ^ "How One Artist is Redefining Disability". 14 March 2016.
  31. ^ "Prosthetic Leg Designed for Ballet Dancers ‹ News - Ability Prosthetics and Orthotics | Nevada".
  32. ^ "You Want a Prosthetic Leg with a Tesla Coil and Spark Gaps? No Problem". 23 October 2019.
  33. ^ "Anouk Wipprecht and Viktoria Modesta Rev up Fashion Tech Design for Rolls-Royce". 17 October 2019.
  34. ^ a b "These high-tech bionic limbs are the future of prosthetics". Business Insider.
  35. ^ Viktoria Modesta blog post regarding her appearance on Killjoys, Viktoriamodesta.com 12 May 2017, Retrieved 9 July 2017
  36. ^ Tv-Eh Article 6 July 2017, Retrieved 9 July 2017
  37. ^ Beauty models breaking all the stereotypes [permanent dead link]
  38. ^ "A Bionic Pop Superstar is Going to War for Science". 30 August 2017.
  39. ^ "BBC 100 Women 2016: Who is on the list?". BBC News. 18 November 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  40. ^ "Counterflow – EP by Viktoria Modesta". iTunes. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
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