Willow Smith is set to lock herself in a box for 24 hours as part of an art installation at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA).
The 19-year-old daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith has teamed up with Tyler Cole for a 24-hour performance art piece focused on anxiety, which will be taking place at MOCA’s Geffen Contemporary in Los Angeles, California.
The event is taking place on Wednesday (11.03.20) and will see Willow and Tyler transition through eight stages of anxiety while inside a box.
Willow says the pair will spend three-hour blocks exploring a different anxiety-related emotion, including sadness, paranoia and compassion, and won’t be speaking during the performance.
She told the Los Angeles Times: "We might grunt or scream – it’s going to be very primal."
The ‘Whip My Hair’ hitmaker has been vocal about her struggle with her mental health following her early rise to fame, and says much of her battle with anxiety comes from a fear of the unknown.
Willow cited the January death of Kobe Bryant – who passed away in a helicopter crash that killed nine people, including his 13-year-old daughter – as an example of not knowing what each day will bring, which often makes her anxious.
She added to the outlet: "We’re on this planet and anything could happen, like the thing that just happened with Kobe [Bryant]? That was really a knife in the heart. Every moment is precious. And I think everyone has a fear of just not knowing what’s going to happen in the future, not knowing if you’re on the right path, not knowing if you’re making the right choices."
Willow and Tyler have also been exploring the struggle in their upcoming album ‘The Anxiety’, which is where they got the idea for the art piece.
She explained: "We were like, ‘Wouldn’t it be so interesting if we could personify this experience? Starting from being scared and feeling alone and moving to a place of acceptance and joy? We understand this is a very sensitive subject. And, we don’t want to be like, ‘Our experience is the experience.’ This is just us expressing our personal experience with this.
"This is not so that people are like, ‘Oooh!’ This is for awareness. The first thing we’re going to be writing on our title wall is something along the lines of: ‘The acceptance of one’s fears is the first step toward understanding.’ So, then you know this is on something real. This is for a real cause."
The pair will release ‘The Anxiety’ on Thursday (12.03.20), as soon as their 24-hour performance has finished.
Willow Smith to be locked in a box as part of 24-hour art installation on anxiety
