Internationally recognised art and literary critic, writer and cultural producer. Published in ELLE, Glamour, Esquire and Cosmopolitan; member of the Union of Writers.
Zendaya stole the show at the premiere of Dune: Part Two on February 15 in London, wearing a vintage Mugler silver cyborg suit with revealing cutouts. The futuristic ensemble, designed by Thierry Mugler and Jean-Jacques Urcun for the Fall/Winter 1995 collection, was a perfect match for the sci-fi epic based on Frank Herbert’s novels. Zendaya, who plays the mysterious Chani in the film, paired the suit with silver gloves and a Bulgari necklace, creating a stunning contrast with her dark hair and makeup. But Zendaya’s cyborg style also reminded us of some artworks, both ancient and modern, that share a similar aesthetic of metallic shine, sensual curves, and robotic elements. Here are five examples of art that Zendaya’s Dune look evokes.
Venus Anadyomene
Venus Anadyomene, Roman, 1st century CE. Photo by DEA / G. DAGLI ORTI/De Agostini via Getty Images. One of the most iconic images of the goddess of love and beauty is Venus Anadyomene, which means “Venus rising from the sea”. According to the myth, Venus was born from the foam of the ocean after the severed genitals of Uranus fell into the water. The image of Venus emerging from the waves, often wringing her wet hair, has been depicted by many artists throughout history, such as Apelles, Botticelli, and Titian. This Roman silver statuette of Venus in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art shines like Zendaya’s Mugler suit and celebrates the female form.
Sexy Robot Floating
Hajime Sorayama’s Sexy Robot Floating installation floating in displayed at Shibuya Parco flagship store, in 2020 in Tokyo. Photograph by Jun Sato/WireImage. The Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama is known for his erotic robot illustrations, which he has been creating since the 1980s for publications such as Playboy. His hyper-realistic drawings of female androids combine organic and mechanical elements, creating a fusion of flesh and metal. In 2020, he created a seven-meter installation of Sexy Robot Floating, which was displayed in an outdoor plaza of Tokyo’s Shibuya Parco. The sculpture shows one of Sorayama’s signature figures in flight, with a sleek silver body and a human-like face. The artist and Zendaya have a shared appreciation for the futuristic, with more than a hint of Fritz Lang’s sci-fi silent film Metropolis (1927) evident in this aesthetic. Sorayama has previously collaborated with the fashion house that created Zendaya’s cyborg look, too.
Joan of Arc
Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingres, Joan of Arc at the Coronation of Charles VII (1854). This is not the first time that Zendaya has channelled the armoured image of Joan of Arc, the 15th-century French heroine who led the resistance against the English invasion. In 2018, the actress attended the Met Gala as the saint, dressed in a custom Versace gown, in line with the evening’s “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” theme. There is something armour-like about her latest cyborg look, and we would certainly follow her into battle over its merits. This painting by Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingres shows Joan of Arc at the coronation of Charles VII, wearing a silver breastplate and a white banner. The artist idealised her features and posture, giving her a noble and heroic appearance.
Metropolis
Brigitte Helm as Maria in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927). The most obvious and direct inspiration for Zendaya’s cyborg look is the 1927 film Metropolis, directed by Fritz Lang and co-written by Thea von Harbou. The film is a masterpiece of German expressionism and a landmark of sci-fi cinema, set in a dystopian future where a wealthy elite oppresses a working class that lives underground. The film features a robot named Futura, also known as Maria, who is modelled after a human woman and used to incite a revolt among the workers. The robot, played by Brigitte Helm, has a striking silver body with geometric shapes and wires, similar to Zendaya’s suit. The robot was designed by Walter Schulze-Mittendorff, who used wood, plastic, and metal to create the costume.
The Birth of Venus
Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus (c. 1484–86). Another famous representation of Venus is The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli, one of the most celebrated paintings of the Italian Renaissance. The painting shows the goddess standing on a giant scallop shell, surrounded by other mythological figures, such as Zephyr, the wind god, and Flora, the goddess of flowers. The painting is renowned for its graceful and elegant style, as well as its use of gold leaf to highlight Venus’s hair and the shell. The painting also has a connection to Zendaya’s Dune look, as it was featured in the 1984 film adaptation of the novel, directed by David Lynch. In the film, the painting is seen in the palace of the Emperor Shaddam IV, played by José Ferrer. The painting symbolises the Emperor’s decadence and corruption, as well as his interest in the spice melange, which is produced on the desert planet of Arrakis, where Zendaya’s character lives.
