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Manon Biernacki, the artist in charge of the Spotify Gold Standard exhibit, revealed that Nicki Minaj did not want to be a part of the exhibit. The Spotify Gold Standard exhibition was on Tuesday, July 30, at The Hole Gallery in New York City. The exhibition featured portraits of many current prominent female hip-hop artists aside from Nicki Minaj.
As the event went viral, people noticed the absence of Nicki in the exhibit, prompting imminent backlash at Spotify and the event. On Friday, August 2, the artist behind the exhibit, Manon Biernacki, released an Instagram reel documenting her journey. Biernacki also shared that Minaj did not want to be a part of the exhibit. The artist wrote in the caption of her reel,
"Ps: don’t come after me in my DMs, Nicki didn’t want to be part of the show."
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Earlier in her caption, Biernacki revealed Spotify contacted her for her first solo exhibition a month and a half ago. The artist expressed her honor at getting to draw these prominent female hip-hop artists and thanked the people who supported her.
Social media users had a lot to say regarding this new revelation. Nicki Minaj fans insisted that Manon Biernacki's attitude was unnecessary and even expressed their delight at Minaj deciding not to be a part of the exhibit. A few others thought the exhibit was disrespectful to Nicki Minaj. Here are a few Instagram reactions:
However, despite the backlash, many people showed their support for Manon Biernacki's work and cheered her on.
The Spotify Gold Standard exhibit took place sans Nicki Minaj and was attended by Sexyy Red, Latto, and Flo Milli
The Spotify Gold Standard exhibition showcased portraits of Cardi B, City Girls, Doja Cat, Flo Milli, GloRilla, Ice Spice, Latto, Megan Thee Stallion, Saweetie, and Sexyy Red. As per a reel on Spotify's official Instagram page, some of these artists even visited the exhibit, including Sexyy Red, Latto, and Flo Milli, who took pictures alongside their portraits. The reel was captioned,
"Scenes from The Gold Standard Exhibition, featuring fine art portraits of the ladies setting the bar for hip-hop. Oh, and a few of the subjects pulled up."
The free exhibit saw a crowd of people attend and look around at the Mali-born Manon Biernacki's work. People could take pictures of the paintings, read each featured rapper's biography, have some food, and even take selfies with mirrors marked "Feelin' Myself."
Manon's artist statement regarding the exhibition, shared by the agency that represents her, Debut Art, read,
"As an artist with a rich cultural background, I am passionate about celebrating the origins and stories of diverse female artists. Projects like The Gold Standard series allow me to honor and uplift voices that resonate with my own experiences and heritage."
During the exhibit, pamphlets were distributed showcasing mini forms of the portraits along with a QR code, which, upon scanning, brought people to the Spotify playlists of the rappers. The central exhibit featured all the artists in a cloudy background, inspired by the great Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel paintings.
Nicki Minaj has not yet commented about her absence from the Spotify Gold Standard exhibit.
