Björk’s most recent album, Fossora, may have released back in 2022, but we’re still being treated to new visuals. The latest? An animated music video for “Victimhood”, directed by artists Gabríela Friðriksdóttir and Pierre-Alain Giraud.

Following a slew of other fungus-themed Fossora videos – accompanying tracks such as “atopos” and “ovule” – the new visuals are ominous and organic, matching the bassy woodwinds and driving beat of “Victimhood”. “I was absolutely fascinated by the song,” says Friðriksdóttir in a press release. “I couldn’t forget it, I had some dreams about it too. It was a deep connection from the first time I heard it.”

“The song deals with things that I often think about, it’s about self-pity and how ridiculous you were or how funny you were in a situation, or in a strange place where you had hard times, and then you see yourself,” the Icelandic artist adds. “Instead of pointing at somebody else all the time, it’s so nice to rediscover yourself. To break through the concrete mask of a certain feeling at a certain time. I think in the lyrics themselves, there’s this poetry about a human situation that’s really welcoming for everyone. I think everyone can understand it.”

Sharing the video via Instagram, Björk says that she’s “honoured” to have collaborated with Friðriksdóttir on the video. “Her work is based on self-made mythology and when you start discussing it, it reveals it´s own numerology, rubric and shapes,” the musician adds. “She is one of my best friends and me and my children have lived with her paintings, sculptures, drawings, films and animations all of our lives.”

Björk goes on to reveal some behind-the-scenes details of the video, saying: “Last winter when I walked into Gabríela´s studio and smelled oil colours and saw experiments she was doing with dark blue, which usually is not her palette, I told her it reminded me of my grandmother´s oil paintings. She knew her and shared my admiration for her. Like everyone atm, we had been discussing AI and after hours of talking we decided to create animation and AI work from Gabríela´s paintings for my song ‘Victimhood’. For me it was a lush moment, connecting our mutual past and catapulting us into the future.”

Watch the “Victimhood” video below.

Join Dazed Club and be part of our world! You get exclusive access to events, parties, festivals and our editors, as well as a free subscription to Dazed for a year. Join for £5/month today.