Musician Mitski Miyawaki, known by her stage name Mitski, collaborated with photographer Ebru Yildiz in opening a pop-up shop and gallery in the Lower East Side of Manhattan from Friday, Feb. 23 to Sunday, Feb. 25. Mitski compiled a zine on display to advertise for her latest album The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, which the artist is currently on tour performing.
But who is Mitski? Garnering popularity and success within Generation Z on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, she is one of the most popular indie artists in the music scene. Mitski’s discography includes many popular songs, including “My Love Mine All Mine,” “Washing Machine Heart,” “I Bet on Losing Dogs,” and many more. “My favorite Mitski song honestly has to be ‘My Body’s Made of Crushed Little Stars,’ [from her 2016 album, Puberty],” explained freshman Isabella Viana. “Mainly because it is one of her more upbeat songs albeit the very tragic meaning. The song itself reminds me of a lot of my life, including portions of my religious views and values represented in this hazy fit of agony. Her desperate vocals are outstanding and throughout her music she repeatedly has the ability to captivate you with her range of vocal ability. [The song] represents the realities of dealing with mental illness. [It] feels like a funky mental breakdown and I absolutely love it,” added Viana.
Mitski has written songs that are extremely relatable to not only the youth, but also adults. The poetic and melancholy themes that run throughout her songs are what truly attract people. “She is not like any other artist [in the music industry], she does what she loves, and I absolutely adore that,” said sophomore Nick Sferrazza, who recently got to see Mitski on tour. Mitski uses platforms such as Instagram and TikTok to promote her music and other music- related subjects, like the pop-up gallery.
On the weekend of Saturday, Feb. 24, freshman Maya Davies and I visited the pop-up gallery. I came across the pop-up on Instagram, and it caught my attention; since I could not get tickets for the tour, I figured why not visit her gallery? “The line wasn’t that long; I honestly thought it would be longer because of how big her fanbase is, especially in New York,” mused Davies. As time passed, the line only got longer and wrapped around the block. It was extremely intriguing seeing how many fans showed up only on the first day the gallery opened. Her fanbase appeared exceptionally diverse, not just in race but also in age.
The popup gallery was small, though this was expected given that visitors could come in free of charge. There were vinyl records of her past albums and her current album, clothing, a zine, posters, and tote bags. Mitski’s music also played throughout the gallery. At the merchandise table, I purchased a tote bag with a beautiful piece by Bradley Amorosino, an illustrator, and a zine constructed by Yildiz. In addition to merchandise were stylized photographs taken of the artist herself. They were stunning, creative, and avant-garde. The photos were all in black and white and captured Mitski’s emotions beautifully through her poses. The gallery managed to capture Mitski’s music and Yildiz’s photography cohesively and beautifully.
