Kanye West and Steve McQueen Debut Video at LACMA

Photo Credit: Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for LACMA

Kanye West chose an appropriate venue to preview his “All Day/I Feel Like That” video in late July—the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

The rapper, along with director Steve McQueen, the director of award-winning film 12 Years A Slave, debuted a nine-minute video that was on display at the museum for just four days (July 25–28). During that time, the museum displayed the work in a gallery at the Broad Contemporary where it played on both sides of a floor-to-ceiling screen; four stereos blasted the song from all corners of the room.

“All Day / I Feel Like That” features West performing both of his singles back to back: The first half shows him interacting with the camera, while the second shows him in a state of collapse, on the ground, depleted; the video was presented at LACMA by Neuehouse, the New York art space, with UTA Fine Art, the agency’s recently launched division that represents visual artists. 

The pop-up installation at LACMA also served as the U.S. premiere of the video, which was shot in one take in the spring of 2015 at a historic dockyard outside of London.

After a screening of the video, LACMA director and CEO Michael Govan led a discussion between West and McQueen about the video, music and, of course, art.

Govan began by touting McQueen’s career, which initially began as a fine artist. He was a former recipient of the Turner Prize, a prestigious annual prize given to an English artist by the Tate Gallery. LACMA even owns a McQueen work, called Static (2009), in which McQueen circles the State of Liberty in a helicopter.

When asked why he wanted to work with McQueen, the rapper replied, “I elevated my palate. I wanted him to be in charge….It wasn’t overly thought-out….He came to our wedding, also.”

He was referring to his May 2014 wedding to reality star Kim Kardashian, who was on hand at the museum to witness her husband’s video/art premiere.