Contributed by Diamond Bullock
Since last night 9PM EST, Willow Smith has been staying inside a box for 24 hours with her boyfriend Tyler Cole at the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Geffen Contemporary in Los Angeles. According to Daily Mail, Smith and Cole’s goal for the exhibit is to spend three hours performing the different emotions of anxiety: paranoia, rage, sadness, numbness, euphoria, strong interest, compassion and acceptance. The box will only have one glass wall for viewers to see the duo in action, but also three other walls covered in canvas so the duo can express themselves through art. For fans that cannot attend, there is a live stream of the exhibit.
Smith posted information about the exhibit on her Instagram account:
Smith talked to the LA Times about her inspiration behind the exhibit, which was the sudden death of Kobe and Gianna Bryant. She hopes that her exhibit will bring awareness to mental health, specifically anxiety: “And so as long as it’s bringing awareness and a positive light to the darkness, it doesn’t matter if you don’t enjoy it.” The duo, also known as The Anxiety, will be releasing an album after the experience is completed. Smith’s struggle with anxiety and other mental health issues have been made known to the public through Red Table Talk, a Facebook Live talk show starring her alongside her mother and maternal grandmother. On one episode, she was asked by her mother, actress Jada Pinkett-Smith about her coping mechanisms for anxiety, and she shared that she does push-ups: “Recently I have been, like, I just get really frustrated and I just feel like there is so much energy. I get frustrated and then in my head I feel manic. So like, lately I’ve just been dropping down and just [doing push ups].”
Smith is a singer and actress who is most known for her platinum hit single “Whip My Hair”, which she released at the age of 10. She starred in I Am Legend alongside her father, actor Will Smith, as well as in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl. However, she expects to channel more of her acting skills through this performance with Tyler Cole.
