The magical world of culture inspires. Bionic pop artist Viktorija Modesta visits Latvia / Article

Now her unusual prosthetic legs have become a fashion and style icon, and she herself has become an inspiration to countless people around the world.

Modesta moved to Great Britain at the age of 12. There she also made the difficult decision to have her leg amputated. The last time the artist visited Latvia was 10 years ago, and now she came here for a short time to visit distant relatives and friends.

“My profession, namely bionic pop artist, has allowed me to push many new boundaries, especially when it comes to working with the body and technology and how we imagine ourselves and our identity,” Modesta told Latvian Television. “I’m very lucky to be able to work on the most unusual projects that show that your body, where you come from and what you’ve been given is not your destiny. You can choose what you want to become.”

Victoria gained wider fame in 2014 thanks to the video clip of her song “Prototype”.

In the world, she is called the first pop star with a bionic body part, but the life of the artist is far from what is usually associated with the everyday life of pop stars.

“I’ve also been a fellow at the MIT Media Lab. I started building a bridge between science, technology and pop culture. And that was great,” Modesta said. “And just recently I started work on a new initiative related to space exploration. I’ve already gone on zero-gravity flights. And, you know, it used to be said that not everyone can become an astronaut. And I think that times change and, maybe people like me and others will be able to go into space.”

The ability to look at what is happening around her through imagination and the desire to change something gave her the strength to deal with the scars of the past and to survive the challenges caused by the pandemic and currently also the feelings of following the war in Ukraine.

“After the pandemic, my feeling is that if tomorrow is our last day on this earth, this day should be spent with full commitment. You should do whatever you want and not wait for anything,” said Modesta. “That’s the thought I felt because I felt very bad with covid. And also when difficult things happen in the world, it’s very important that culture rises and continues to inspire people with this magical world of culture. There is a lot of power in that .”

She considers persistence and self-worth to be the key to success.

A change of attitude, in her opinion, can change not only people, but the world around them, and she hopes to provide that to people in Latvia soon.

“I am currently working with many international organizations and brands to bring more creativity to disability issues to change the way we see the world. This is very important to me,” explained Modesta. “I really can’t say anything more at the moment, but I am very interested in working more closely with people in Latvia as well. To work on a more in-depth level and find out what is being done here to change the existing situation. What is being done so that no little girl grows up in the same conditions as me . It’s a culture change that needs to happen.”

Full interview with Victoria Modesta

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