Viktoria Modesta is a bionic pop artist, creative director, musician, and champion of future innovations. Her work explores modern identity through performance, fashion, avant-garde visuals, technology, and science.
Currently living in Los Angeles, she has established herself as a ‘Sci-Fi in real life’ artist, creative leader, and innovator in the post-disability community. Her mission is to explore the outer limits of the technologically-enhanced human experience.
Born in the former USSR (now Latvia), she was hospitalized extensively for the correction of birth injuries to her leg, resulting in periods of isolation where imagination was her only escape from reality. In 1999 her family immigrated to England, prompting Viktoria on an identity quest in the depths of London subculture. Discovering, alternately imagery and viewing the body as canvas, body as art protest gave her the courage to transform her disability with an elective amputation aged 20. That led Viktoria to co-create, wear, and exhibit the most iconic and innovative prosthetics to date through collaboration with Alternative Limb Project and tech fashion designer Anouk Wipprecht. Her life story has been recognized worldwide as a testament to human strength. Former President Barack Obama profiled Viktoria’s transformative approach to modern identity for his guest-edited WIRED magazine Frontiers issue.
Viktoria first stepped onto the global stage with a performance at London 2012 Paralympic Closing Ceremony, followed by her perennially viral music/art video Prototype commissioned by Channel 4. Tallying hundreds of million views across the internet & television, her arresting spike dance and post-disability aesthetic introduced Viktoria as the world’s first Bionic Pop Artist. She is known for her hyper-stylized performances and productions across the globe and constantly pushing forward art innovation and inclusivity in entertainment. Past events include Miami Art Basel, Super Bowl 2022, The European Para Championships Opening Ceremony, a sold-out residency at the iconic Crazy Horse Paris cabaret, various Fashion Weeks and several inclusivity events such as Abylimpics and True Colors Festival Tokyo.
Her work with brands spans from an ambassadorship to fully involved art direction, team curation, strategy, and production executed via a co-founded creative studio Modestar specializing in accelerating future-focused narrative. Some of her key past clients include Rolls Royce, GM, Intel, Snap, Veuve Clicquot, Autodesk, Ray-Ban and Pangaia.
Using the latest media tools, Viktoria presents a new archetype of a cultural influencer, always taking an opportunity to bring education and substance to all projects. A frequent keynote speaker & panelist, she has been featured in Forbes, Wired, Elle USA, Guardian, CNN, Vice, Vogue, LA Times, Dazed, and New York Times.
Viktoria’s Web3-focused chapter of work is on virtual identity and augmentation. Extending her life’s mission, her avatar designed by Lilium Labs debuted in a TIME Pieces, ‘Build a Better Future’ NFT drop with a follow-up raising funds for Ukraine.
Viktoria’s images, videos, and prosthetics have been featured in several exhibitions, such as TechStyle at the Museum of Fine Art in Boston and the National Portrait Gallery. However, a recent project with her Avatar secured her first larger installation. The ‘Virtual Twin’ collaboration with virtual fashion commerce DressX, avatar incubator Lilium Labs and interactive art production by No Magic No Fun went on display in early 2023 at the Crystal Bridges Museum, bringing a taste of the future to the Fashioning America ‘Grit to Glamour’ exhibit.
An MIT Media Lab, Directors Fellow – 2016 Cohort, Young European Leaders – class 2019, and ambassador for accessibility space initiative Mission Astro access, Viktoria explores the impact of technology on the future of human lifestyle and culture . Her latest project with Aurelia Institute tapped into a new frontier of body augmentation in microgravity through tech wearables and architectural fashion.
‘Human augmentation is more than a costume change for your identity, it can change the course of your destiny’.
