Michael Paul Britto, Society's Children

Smack Mellon is pleased to present Tracey Snelling’s installation Woman on the Run and Michael Paul Britto’s new video works in Society’s Children. The two artists incorporate elements of pop culture, cinema, and reality to very different ends. Snelling uses architectural elements and multimedia effects to create fictional character and scenarios full of intrigue, while Britto uses personal observation and surveillance footage to emphasize the injustices of actual occurrences. In the tradition of a film noir femme fatale, Snelling constructs a three-dimensional narrative around an ambiguous female persona wanted for questioning in relation to a crime. The visitor becomes a player in the story, searching for the enigmatic woman. Boundaries blur between victim and violator, fact and fiction, feminism and outdated views. Britto’s harsh characters are more straightforward and urgent in both presentation and purpose, exposing pressing concerns in contemporary urban African-American culture. His video Verbal Assault shows the same actor portraying a father and son in a heated argument marked by mutual disrespect, while his video Daughters shows footage of a police officer brutally restraining a girl whose only crime is staying out past curfew.

Exhibition dates: November 21, 2009 - January 3, 2010

Michael Paul Britto, Society's Children

“Much of my work is about being a person of color in America and the misconceptions and assumptions that go along with that. My art allows me to use the customary as metaphor to raise political and cultural awareness. By manipulating images taken from popular culture I aim to illicit feelings of rage, happiness, sadness and empathy to make viewers rethink mass medias’ depictions of people of color, and what is deemed as acceptable behavior by society.”

Verbal aggression has been determined to be more damaging than physical aggression. There are many sources to blame for verbal aggression including human nature, ethics, victimization, abnormal psychology, and the mass media. In the video Verbal Assault, the role of father and son are juxtaposed to show the son’s aggression as a mirror image of his father’s. While the father cares for his son, his abusive approach contradicts his intention to help his son. Frustration is sensed from both characters as the overlapping dialogue focuses on their fears and mutual desires for acceptance and achievement.

In the video Daughters, a dashboard video-camera recording of a white police officer’s assault on a 15 year old African-American girl, is paired with John Mayer’s song “Daughters” giving a timely and important alternative meaning to the lyrics of this pop song, posing the question “will this girl love like she’s been loved?”

Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Michael Paul Britto received his BA from the City College of New York. His work ranges from video to digital photography, sculpture, and performance. Britto has had residencies at the New Museum, Smack Mellon and The Marie Walsh Sharpe Foundation (NYC). His work has been featured in shows at El Museo del Barrio, The Studio Museum of Harlem, The Zacheta National Gallery in Warsaw and the Victoria and Albert Museum in England. Britto has been written about in The New York Times, Art In America and the Brooklyn Rail.

Smack Mellon
92 Plymouth Street @ Washington
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Gallery hours are Wednesday-Sunday, 12-6pm

Smack Mellon is easily accessible by either the F or the A/C subways.

F Train to York. Exit to the right and walk downhill on Jay Street, towards the water.
Make a left at the next block, Front Street. Make a right on Washington Street.
92 Plymouth is 2 blocks down, on the corner.

AC Train to High Street. Use Fulton Street Exit.
Cross the street (Cadman Plaza West), enter park and follow curved pathway to
Washington Street. Make a slight left to exit park and walk down Washington towards river, 3 blocks to Plymouth Street.

B61 Bus to York and Gold Streets.
Walk down York. Take right on Washington Street and walk to end at park to
Plymouth. 92 Plymouth is at the corner.

On Foot: Enjoy the beautiful walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. The first set of stairs you reach in Brooklyn will drop you off on Washington Street. Take a left out of the stairwell and walk down the hill for three blocks. 92 Plymouth Street is the last building on the right side of the street, right before the park.

By Car:
via Brooklyn Bridge: Take the Brooklyn Bridge across the East River and get off at the first exit on the right, Cadman Plaza. The exit will drop you off on Cadman Plaza - follow this street through the first two lights toward the East River. Take a right on Front Street (just after the off-ramp from the BQE), a left on Main Street, drive two blocks and take a right on Plymouth Street. 92 Plymouth is one block, at the corner of Washington.

via BQE: If heading South on the BQE, exit at the Cadman Plaza exit. At the stoplight, make a hard right on Front Street, almost making a u-turn. Take a left on Main Street. Drive two blocks and take a right on Plymouth Street. 92 Plymouth is one block, at the corner of Washington.

via Manhattan Bridge: Take the Manhattan Bridge to Brooklyn and make a right on Tillary Street. Follow Tillary through three lights (you will pass the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge) and take a right on Cadman Plaza East. A park will be on the left. Follow this street underneath the BQE and through the first light. Take a left on York Street at the stop sign. This street will curve to the right and eventually deadend. Take a right on Front Street and then an immediate left on Main Street, drive two blocks and take a right on Plymouth Street. 92 Plymouth is one block, at the corner of Washington

For more info on me visit my official website
www.rickyday.net