Shimmering Silver and Biblical References in Kanye West’s “Mary”

The rapper’s newest opera premiered on a final day of Art Basel Miami.

Staged on the last day of Art Basel Miami was Kanye West’s newest opera. Dubbed Mary, the performance featured a total of 12 scenes and followed the biblical Christmas nativity story.

The show took place at Miami Marine Stadium, an abandoned venue that floats on water and was originally used for boat races. The Sunday Service choir performers wore matching robes and everyone, including Kanye himself, was wearing a shimmering silver from head to toe. Wearing silver gowns and having their entire head and hands covered in metallic paint, they stood between sand-colored mounds and appeared impersonated excerpts from the books of Matthew and Luke. 

As with Nebuchadnezzar, Kanye’s debut opera, the event comprised new arrangements of rapper’s older songs like “Devil in a New Dress,” “Love Lockdown,” “Power,“ “I Thought About Killing You” and “Can’t Tell Me Nothing.” There were also traditional Christmas songs: “O Holy Night,” “Gloria in Excelsis Deo” and “Drummer Boy.”

After an hour-long performance, the choir left the stage to be promptly taken away from the stage in a motorboat. Stay tuned — next up and coming on Christmas Day is Kanye’s next upcoming album Jesus Is Born.

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