I am the American Dream (Britney, 2004) (2026)

rhinestones, glue, acrylic, marker pen, spray paint, MDF

61 by 44 by 2.5 centimetres

exhibited as part of Office with Teaspoon Projects at Basel Social Club, Basel, Switzerland

exhibition documentation by Silke Briel

I am the American Dream (Britney, 2004) appropriates a paparazzi photograph of Britney Spears outside her Los Angeles home in 2004, wearing a hot pink slogan tee bearing the words ‘I am the American Dream’. Recreated via Chapman's signature rhinestones, the image becomes a bitterly comic commentary on the contradictions of the American Dream vis-a-vis one of the artist’s favourite divas.

From small-town Southern girl to global superstar, Spears' extraordinary rise appears to embody the promise of meritocracy, wealth and individual success central to capitalist ideology. Yet her subsequent exploitation, highly publicised struggles, and profit-driven abuse expose the violence and inequality underpinning this ideal. Juxtaposing the glamour of celebrity with the realities of capitalist exploitation, Chapman suggests that even the sparkle of diamantés and aspiration cannot conceal the violence at the heart of this broken system.