In 1895, Nietzsche said, “Some men are born posthumously.” These people confront, challenge, transform, and once they have fulfilled their destiny, they then depart from this world. Many times their work is undervalued and cast aside. Until years later after their passing, they are righteously recognized and their lives serve as an homage to their unbreakable spirit. Van Gogh, Tesla, and even Nietzsche himself are a testament to this curious phenomenon, but today we wish to give credit to one of the greatest chameleons of our time: Tilda Swinton.
Tilda Swinton is a serious contender for the title of Best Actress, alongside Meryl Streep, Kate Winslet, and Cate Blanchett (limiting the acting world to the small, heterogenous bubble that is Hollywood), but many times she has been overlooked. She is among the many geniuses of our time who have changed the course of the arts and culture forever.
Tilda Swinton is many things: striking, androgynous, artist, mother, activist, visionary, and more. Her roots and lineage can be traced to the High Middle Ages, and her traditional education brought her one step closer to the incendiary art world. Classmate to Princess Diana and a fervent follower of the Communist Party of Great Britain during her time as a student at Cambridge University, Tilda has proven to the world that sometimes the term “multifaceted” is not enough to describe a person.
A work of art changes with time. In the past, what mattered the most was art itself, and the figure of the artist was effaced by the sands of time. Nowadays, the artist plays a fundamental part in the work, but Tilda Swinton has gone one step further. Beyond performance, Swinton’s body has become a work of art. She is not part of the same school of thought as Marina Abramovic or Orlan, who use their bodies to create and for introspective purposes; perhaps for her it was unintentional, but this striking British artist has transformed her very essence into a work of art.
Her essence shines through each photograph or film she stars in. Fashion and art go hand in hand, and when Tilda Swinton joins this equation, the result is something majestic. Surrealist gardens like Xilitla are perfectly in tune with her body, and her essence is undiluted and pure in its honesty.
Today fashion embraces and promotes change. Erika Linder, Andreja Pejic, Jessica Pitti, among others, are important players in the industry, and they owe much to Swinton, who since her role in Orlando has undermined traditional concepts of gender roles.
With mutability, Swinton stepped into our world to demonstrate that boundaries are there to be broken. She may achieve this hand in hand with David Bowie or by sleeping in an art gallery in front of the curious eyes of the audience. Model, artist, actress, and art, Tilda Swinton is the consecration of a unique identity whose vision we have yet to fully understand. In the future, she will be seen as one great artist that never ceased to shine.
“I believe that all great art holds the power to dissolve things: time, distance, difference, injustice, alienation, despair. I believe that all great art holds the power to mend things: join, comfort, inspire hope in fellowship, reconcile us to our selves. Art is good for my soul precisely because it reminds me that we have souls in the first place.”
–Tilda Swinton
