Michael Jackson 

Curator: Talk about an explosion of colour! We're looking at Romero Britto's "Michael Jackson," rendered in his signature pop-art style, it just grabs your attention doesn’t it? Editor: Absolutely! It's like a concentrated dose of pure joy...or maybe forced cheer? The flat planes of bright acrylic and heavy outlines have this instant, almost overwhelming, quality. But it also feels a bit… sanitized? Curator: I see what you mean. Britto's work often aims for universal appeal, an optimistic world view that's deliberately uncomplicated. Look at how the shapes, and patterns create rhythm; there is almost a vibration to this painting, a symphony of color and line…Britto has referred to his work as “art for all". Editor: True, but who gets to define "all," right? When an image like this presents such a relentlessly cheerful, almost cartoonish, vision of someone like Michael Jackson, doesn’t it risk erasing complexities and difficult histories around race, celebrity, and exploitation that follow this figure. Where are the nuances of his career struggles or alleged issues? Curator: Perhaps, but maybe that isn't the intent? Maybe Britto is reflecting on MJ the superstar, celebrating the performer, or even transforming a deeply flawed figure into an almost… iconic symbol, an eternal moment of art? This artwork can become about a single face and one reading of that face? Editor: It definitely prompts a reflection on what happens when celebrity and mass culture collide. The artwork almost screams for contextualization, for an unpacking of power dynamics embedded within these kinds of images. Curator: And to what extent any image that speaks to “joy” and color is to be read as simplistic as well. Does celebration preclude a simultaneous critical view? Britto offers us an open invitation to play, it would be very unfair not to meet him there for that dance! Editor: I agree, but I think that invitation to dance needs to also recognize the historical and critical weight that the portrait of someone like Michael Jackson can have and how important it is to stay cognisant of this broader dynamic as we interpret the intention of celebration! Curator: Ultimately, maybe this pop-infused, cartoon-based portrait isn't so much about capturing the 'real' Michael Jackson but highlighting what Michael Jackson represents and embodies for generations. Editor: A symbol laden with joy but also a call to acknowledge a rich past and the intersection of race and power. Something to celebrate and investigate.