If there’s an artist who knows how to reinvent herself, it’s Jewel. The platinum-selling musician has spent the last year creating 34 new works for a solo exhibition to debut during the Venice Biennale: paintings, sculptures, and kinetic installations that merge art and science, exploring themes of motherhood, empowerment, and humanity’s relationship with nature. Her centerpiece, Heart of the Ocean, is an eight-foot kinetic sculpture created in collaboration with scientists from NASA, NOAA, Stanford, and UC Berkeley that translates real-time oceanographic data into light and sound. The Venice Biennale, the art world’s most prestigious international exhibition, has long been the platform where artists and curators from around the globe converge every two years to showcase contemporary art’s cutting edge—and this year, Jewel joins those ranks with work that challenges the boundaries between disciplines.

For 24 hours, V Magazine followed Jewel through Venice as she prepared for her Biennale debut with Matriclysm: An Archaeology of Connections Lost, presented in association with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and curated by Joe Thompson. The day included rooftop meditations, water taxi rides with her son, private patron tours, and an opening night performance in custom Schiaparelli.

“I like to start my mornings with sunlight and meditation… and of course coffee.” 

“I climb up on the roof of the Palazzo I’m in to take in the skyline and the sound of sea and air.”

“I always spend a few minutes finding a melody before I put on makeup and get ready for the day.”

“I take a water taxi to my exhibition space around 10am for the final walkthrough. On the way I saw the Vaporetto (the public water bus) with my exhibition’s billboard on it. So excited!”

“I give a private tour to the patrons of the Fondation Beyeler, the Swiss museum, an incredible Swiss institution.”

“Time for a wardrobe change and a quick photo shoot with my work. This piece is from the Fertile Ground series, which explores the tension between empowerment and vulnerability.”

“This is Motherthread, a painting diptych that highlights the bonds between my son and me.”

“This is Heart of the Ocean, an eight-foot kinetic sculpture that translates real-time oceanographic data into sound and light, created in collaboration with scientists from NASA, NOAA, Stanford, and UC Berkeley.”

“I head back to get ready for the party. Daniel Roseberry and house of Schiaparelli were kind enough to let me wear the paint brush couture dress. It has over 6,000 paint brush heads. I feel like Cinderella heading to my opening!”

“I went for simple hair and makeup to accentuate the artistry of the gown.”

“I have been a fan of the house of Schiaparelli and their longstanding relationship with artists like Salvador Dalí and Alberto Giacometti. It was a dream to get to wear this dress that honors artists in such a unique way. Daniel is brilliant!”

“Ready to head over to the debut of my solo art exhibition in this dream city, in this dream dress, surrounded by family.”

“Love riding the water taxi with my son by my side.”

“I worked for a year to create 34 new works, paintings, and sculptures. To open the show, I sing an excerpt from one of my data sound pieces, where I am literally accompanied by the sound of star light captured by the Seven Sisters of the Pleiades constellation.“

“It was a fever dream to get to share my art with the world.”

“Amazing day. Time for bed!”