The movie business was upended last year in a way that the industry hasn’t seen often in its history. A big part of show business is getting dressed up and giving each other pats on the back with pomp and pageantry designed to be a show in-and-of-itself that millions around the world tune into every year.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the folks behind the Oscars, are going forward with the show, including an in-person awards presentation at Los Angeles’ Union Station and a separate production at the Dolby Theater. The academy is implementing the same COVID precautions that they’ve used this past year on production sets.
Part of the Oscars ceremony is campaign art, and this year’s theme is “Bring Your Movie Love,” meant to celebrate film’s power to connect, educate, and inspire storytelling on a global level. The academy has invited seven international artists to reimagine the Oscar statuette with this year’s theme in mind.
Artists include Temi Coker, Petra Eriksson, Magnus Voll Mathiassen, Michelle Robinson, Karan Singh, Victoria Villasana, and Shawna X. The invited artists represent a range of design disciplines, styles, and backgrounds. Coker’s Oscar statute, for example, has nods to his Nigerian heritage, while illustrator Karan Singh’s take is a colorful blend of op-art and mid-century design. Artist Victoria Villasana incorporates a textile component made of alchemical colors.
The 93rd Oscars will be held Sunday, April 25, 2021, broadcast live on ABC in the US and on other networks in 225 countries and territories worldwide.