Kara Walker’s fountain at Tate Modern takes centre stage in new FKA twigs video

Tate Modern in London might be closed during the pandemic but fans of US artist Kara Walker can get their fix of her magnificent fountain, Fons Americanus, in the latest video by UK singer FKA twigs. The monumental 13 metre-high structure stands tall in the Turbine Hall, forming a dramatic and poetic backdrop for the song Don’t Judge Me which also co-stars rapper Headie One. FKA twigs wrote on Twitter that “it was an honour to shoot with kara walkers fountain exploring the interconnection of black history between africa, america and europe.”Prominent Black British men and women including the writer Benjamin Zephaniah, the soccer player Mahlon Romeo and writer Reni Eddo-Lodge all feature, standing immobile around the watery installation. “Its story of the invisibility and the erasure of black history in our monuments is so fantastically covered,” Tate Modern's director Frances Morris told BBC Radio 4 last year. Indeed, Fons Americanus has proved to be one of the most popular commissions in the colossal space, drawing thousands of visitors who are encouraged to sit on the bench-like rim of the fountain.