Sad clowns and Yoruba tricksters: the immersive world of Tierra Whack and Alex Da Corte

When Tierra Whack released her new album "World Wide Whack’ in March, conceptual artist Alex Da Corte was thrilled to work alongside the musician in bringing her surreal world of Whack to life in an immersive album experience. ‘Tierra and I have had a longstanding relationship and friendship,’ said Da Corte, ‘so when the opportunity arose to work together on her first full-length, it seemed like an easy and righteous idea to say yes.’

Their partnership blossomed in 2021 after collaboration on the video for her track ‘Dora’. Now, three years later, the Philadelphia natives deliver a creative visual art project which brings Whack’s fictional character ‘World Wide Whack’ to life.

Alex Da Corte and Tierra Whack present 'World Wide Whack'

Da Corte told Wallpaper*, ‘After listening to her album, I wanted to create a world where Tierra could exist as this Whack persona, one who is both from the future or not of this world and one who is deeply rooted in her city and to her family. We share a similar colour sensibility and sense of humour, so it felt quite natural to dream and be dreamy when diving into the Wide World of Whack.’

The inspiration for the visual narrative and character came from a playful tightrope between the Yoruba trickster tradition and Pierrot, the original sad clown from 17th century Italian theatre. Visitors are taken through a ‘day in the life’ of Whack, which journeys through self-care and the safety of private space showcased in ‘Shower Song’, a purposeful example of Whack’s signature candour within her music.

Throughout the performance Whack’s look captures the essence of sadness and joy. Uniting with Da Corte’s artistry of hand-drawn animation and collage, they both capture the essence of resilience in the face of hardship- mirroring the history of Black performance in America and fractures in societal systems.

Whack's look reflects both sadness and joy, emphasising the power to inspire and drive others despite solitude and pain: this is the history of Black performance in America, too, and the story of existence around cracks in societal systems.

‘Alex is a visionary and an extremely talented individual,’ said the Grammy- nominated recording artist.’ With him being Philly based it was just a natural connection. I don’t like telling people how to feel but we made something really special and I’m excited for the world to experience it.’

Da Corte has also recently collaborated with St. Vincent, creating the album artwork and visuals for her upcoming album, 'All Born Screaming', released later this month. Of the collaboration, St. Vincent said: “I swear to God I don’t throw the word around, but he is a genius. Period.”

'World Wide Whack' is now available on all streaming platforms

alexdacorte.com