TikTok Sensation Vita Kari on Partnering with Tory Burch, Exploring the Intersection of Fashion and Identity, and How Their Bold Performance Art is Sparking National Dialogue
Photo Credit: Sean Behr
Visual non-binary artist Vita Kari (they/them) is a trailblazer in the contemporary art scene, known for their immersive performances and thought-provoking explorations of identity and digital culture. With over 1.1 million followers on TikTok, Kari revolutionized the platform with their groundbreaking ‘Craziest Thing About Being Creative’ which challenges our perceptions of creativity in the digital era. Their work engages audiences in innovative ways, positioning them as a cultural force to be reckoned with.
Last month, Kari was tapped by Tory Burch to create an immersive New York Fashion Week campaign. In a separate project, they staged the viral initiative “On The Wall,” where they taped themselves to a wall in Los Angeles to spark a debate about performance art. As they continue to push the envelope, we caught up with Kari to discuss their artistic journey, the role of social media in shaping their work, and what’s next on the horizon!
How do you navigate the intersection of digital and traditional art in your work, and what unique challenges and opportunities do you find in both realms?
For me, it feels like one blended medium. Video turns into social media, which I see as an opportunity for performance work because it becomes a shared participatory experience for the viewer. I bring digital inspiration from early Internet 2000s artists that I admire into my woven work.
Tapestry is the original pixel because, similar to pixels, everything we see on our computer or phone screen can be broken down into red, blue, green, and other pixel colors. In my tapestry work, if you pull all of the strings, you’ll see that each string is actually a singular color, and in many ways, they function similarly.
As a prominent non-binary creator, how do you see your success influencing LGBTQ+ representation in the art world? What changes do you hope to see in the industry moving forward?
So many before me have paved the way for my ability to have a platform. If it wasn’t for queer icons like Asher Hartman, Kori Newkirk, Judie Bamber, Raffi Esparza, Jennifer Moon, Legacy Russell, Kathrin Burmester, and so many others who have personally touched my life, I don’t know where I would be. The world feels cyclical in that what we give to others is what we receive. Throughout my career, I’ve been met with so much generosity and love as I’ve navigated spaces where I felt nervous. I hope that other young queer artists feel more empowered as our presence grows. As queer people, sometimes the most important thing we can do is show up for others, our community, and ourselves.
TikTok has become a major platform for artists. How has it shaped your creative process, and what role do you believe social media plays in the evolution of artistic expression?
I truly feel that social media is an art form in itself, and that the viral social media video—specifically short-form content—should be viewed critically as a piece of performance art and a medium for fine art.
Your viral series has garnered a massive following. How do you think virality impacts community engagement, and what responsibilities do you feel come with having such a large platform?
The biggest way for me to make an impact is to speak within my lane. When there’s something I care about, I try to address it through the lens of what I know will go viral. For example, when I lost my hearing, I felt it was meaningful to share that I would now be wearing hearing aids. I knew the easiest way to share that video across the platform was to use my “craziest thing” format. It’s important for me to speak on accessibility from my lived experience, but for topics outside of my personal experience, I think there’s someone else I can hand the microphone to, and I prefer to highlight other voices.
What inspires your experimental art, and how do personal experiences and identity shape the themes you explore in your work?
I think resilience shouldn’t be something to aspire to, as I realize it’s a response to hardship. That said, I do notice when faced with adversity, my resilience often shows throughout my tapestry, video, and performance work. It’s hard not to pull directly from what’s happening in real time. I draw inspiration from my community, my culture, my lived experiences, and being chronically online.
You emphasize authenticity in your voice and work. How do you maintain that authenticity while navigating the pressures of social media and public expectations?
Talking to the camera makes it hard not to be embarrassingly yourself! It’s also easier when you’re queer because you’ve already subverted a lot of societal expectations, so it’s easier to know that nothing you can do will be truly disappointing.
Also, it’s OK to make mistakes! I’ll probably make tons of them, and I’m always learning.
What are your aspirations for the future, both as an artist and as an advocate for LGBTQ+ visibility? Are there any specific projects or initiatives you’re excited to pursue?
I’m excited to explore more about the intersection of accessibility and queerness, especially as it connects to my hearing loss and my journey of wearing and decorating my hearing aids!
It’s interesting because with queer or accessibility activism, I never woke up one day and decided to pursue it, but when it’s your everyday experience, you fall into it! I can promise that I’ll continue to open doors for myself and others, and look cute while doing it.
You mentioned that your performance piece, “On The Wall,” was a meticulously planned performance. Can you share some insights into the creative process behind it and how you balanced spontaneity with premeditation?
For “On The Wall,” I wanted to see if it was possible to make an artwork within an artwork. While I was strapped to a wall as part of the performance, the real artwork was that the newscast video was fabricated. My team and I put that together! It required incredible planning because we had to create a convincing video while also navigating the filming of a brief performance piece. I think a lot about the media we consume online, especially in relation to what I’ve put my body through in past performance pieces. I was interested in whether I could blend the two into an illusion of time and truth.
How do you see the landscape of performance art changing in the age of social media? Do you think the traditional definitions of performance art need to evolve as well?
I would like digital performance work to be taken more seriously in the future, and I also see the rise of AI becoming more relevant than ever.
Can you walk us through your creative process in designing your miniature art installation for Tory Burch? How did you incorporate elements from Tory Burch’s collection into your work?
We collaborated on a specific vision—a tiny version of the Domino Building where a runway show could be posed as an illusion if the camera was set up just right against it. The inside featured the actual fashion runway show, but with 3D elements printed out by my amazing studio assistant, Andre Atkins. Due to the last-minute nature of pulling looks for the runway, I actually had to put together my outfit the morning of the launch because I didn’t have access to the final images until the night of the show! I love working this way, and I think the best work comes out of those spontaneous moments.
In your view, how do art and fashion intersect, and what do you believe each discipline can learn from the other in contemporary creative practices?
Similar to the art world, fashion has its own language and deep history that someone needs to study to be able to speak about. I respect designers and those in fashion on such a deep level. Wearable objects are the pivotal moment where fashion and art intersect. So much of fashion’s functionality is compromised for the sake of keeping creativity intact, and that sacrifice feels very art-forward to me. I feel inspired by runway shows, like my soul is on fire! For example, when I saw the Area 2024 show this past February, there was such magic to it. While I don’t feel qualified to speak on what each discipline can learn from the other because I haven’t formally studied fashion, as a visual artist, I’ve learned about functional objects and the body, draping, and I’ve been incredibly inspired by Diane von Furstenberg, whose retrospective at the Skirball I saw yesterday and was blown away.