Winners at this year's MTV Video Music Awards will receive an updated version of the iconic Moon Person trophy.
As part of MTV's 40th-anniversary celebration, the network has recruited artist Kehinde Wiley to revamp the statuette that will be handed out at the 2021 VMAs.
Wiley's new version features the traditional astronaut silhouette while lacing it with green vines and colorful flowers. MTV tells Rolling Stone that the design choice “represents inclusivity and diversity marked by the historical, environmental and nature relevance of the botanicals.”
"Each intertwined vine or leaf has a different historical relevance, such as the seeds from African slaves, that are woven into the American tapestry," adds the network. "The sculpture complements Wiley’s forthcoming series of portraits, in which he plans to create paintings featuring his subjects lying on their sides as vines encircle their bodies."
A large-scale version of the design was unveiled on Sunday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
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Wiley rose to significant prominence for his presidential portrait of Barack Obama in 2018, a work that currently hangs in the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. Other subjects of Wiley's have included the likes of the Notorious B.I.G., Ice T, Big Daddy Kane, and more.
This year's VMAs are scheduled to take place on September 12 at Brooklyn's Barclays Center.
While nominees have not been officially announced, Megan Thee Stallion notably led the first-round ballot nominations, earning five of the 53 entries for video of the year and five of the 60 entries for song of the year.
