Last night sand artist Kseniya Simonova came third in Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions – an all-star, international version of the variety show. Although she didn’t manage to win, in many respects, the result is a resounding success. In a post-show reaction video uploaded to her personal Youtube channel, she explained her joy at coming third, notably being the only international artist to make the top three. Interestingly, achieved the same result in America’s Got Talent: The Champions earlier in the year. Of course, within the Eurovision context Kseniya is probably most well known for her captivating performance for Mika Newton back in 2011.
As ever, Simonova’s work encapsulates the primal, universal spectrum of human emotion, empathy and reflection. Each intricate piece explores the spectrum of emotions, typically linked with a snapshot of national zeitgeist. associated with that event. Therefore, love, loss, war/conflict, childhood and illness are common themes that are woven throughout her art.
As a result last nights performance, a touching homage and tribute to the life and work of Princess Diana, was very much within her artistic canon. Before the performance, Simonova explained she really wanted to ‘tell the story which will be close to each heart in Great Britain’.
‘Beautifully moving tribute’
As you can see from the shots of the audience throughout the performance, the images depicted resonate the room. Going by social media, the feeling was not exclusive to the studio:
In the first heat Simonova depicted the sand story ‘Never Give Up’, a motivational piece for those suffering from cancer. Amanda Holden described the performance as ‘astonishing’, rewarding it with her Golden Buzzer, fast tracking Simonova to the final.
America’s Got Talent: The Champions
The ‘Got Talent’ has been a global franchise for years since its conception in 2006. An all-star ‘Champions’ edition, however, is a new reiteration of the format and was launched earlier this year in America. A mixture of the most talented acts from “Got Talent” series all over the world combined to take part in one competition. Kseniya achieved third place in “The Champions”, the highest-placed European contestant and the highest-placed contestant from outside the American continent.
Simonova returned to the Eurovision stage for a second time in Tel Aviv, contributing her sand art to Anna Odobescu’s performance of “Stay” for Moldova. Despite the fact Moldova failed to qualify, Simonova once again earned praise from fans for her work.
What are your thoughts of Kseniya Simonova’s performance? Would you like to make a second comeback to the contest? Let us know in the comments below or at social media. Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates!
