This is, no doubt, a powerful visual filled with imagery, symbolism, and meaning more than average viewers will catch, but the bottom line? It’s going to leave a lot of people scratching their heads. It’s a move you probably should have expected from Kanye West – this is not entertainment, it is a statement. Read more about what the director said via MTV:

“There’s a lyric in the song — ‘No one man should have this much power’ — so the video kind of answers its own question,” Brambilla said. “It poses the question: ‘What does power and access look like?’ And then: ‘How delicate is it to preserve that moment of time?’ ”

Brambilla said they wanted to take a contemporary look at the idea of someone being immortal then becoming mortal, and show it in a way that would connect to art history. He used the Sistine Chapel as a reference point, including a Michelangelo fresco that comes to life. West is the central figure of the piece and represents “power.” Brambilla said West has gone through a tumultuous past year, as expressed in the lyrics of “Power,” and is in a moment of transition.

I think it’s pretty dope. Not as cool as the original “Civilization” from Brambilla but pretty damn cool.