An exhibition of eight video artworks,
each of which subjects a particular song to a wild but discerning transformation.I'm a Slave 4 U
Michael Paul Britto
USA, single channel video (2006)
Michael Paul Britto uses a cast of Black actors dressed in 19th century slave costume enacting choreographed gestures that recall tasks such as cleaning and picking cotton in order to create a disturbing remake of Britney Spears' I’m a Slave 4 U music video. Replacing Britney with the Harriet Tubman character that appears in other works in his Dirrrty Harriet Tubman series, Britto challenges the viewer to consider the historical significance that echoes in the pop song’s eroticized use of the term 'slave'.
Michael Paul Britto is a filmmaker and video artist who also works in installation. He graduated from City College of New York with a B.A in Media and Communication Arts in 1999 and works with children and young people at the Boys Club of New York City and Downtown Community Television Center's (DCTV). His work has been exhibited at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (San Francisco), Urbis Exhibition Centre (Manchester UK), Zacheta National Gallery of Art (Warsaw), Paul Robeson Center For Arts (Princeton), Postmasters Gallery (New York), and the Victoria and Albert Museum (London UK). Britto was awarded a Rockefeller Foundation, Media Arts Fellowship Grant in 2005 and will be a resident in the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's Workspace Program for 2009-2010.
Michael Paul Britto online www.contemporarystl.org/michaelpaulbritto.phpwww.gimmefiveproject.com