Artist Statement

Exhibition. Centre Culturel Canadien, May 16 – 20

2022

The work entitled If U Seek Amy is a role-playing game (RPG) that explores the duality between a pop star’s public persona and her private life, the overlap between the two, and the steps taken to keep them separate. The project also explores the fascination of a young queer person – namely the one who created this game – with this star and questions the boundary between sincerity and performance in this admiration. The two protagonists live a quest for identity each in their own way through what they project voluntarily or not, what is said about them, what they internalize from the perception of others and what they reject.

A true tribute to Britney Spears, this game explores with a touch of humor the different ways in which she has integrated the popular consciousness, whether through memes, unusual remixes of her songs, the legends she generates or her most famous quotes. In this way, the work reveals how people reappropriate an icon to address the special and one-way bond between a celebrity and her fans. https://rafiki.itch.io/if-u-seek-amy

Created as part of a Galerie Galerie residency.
Coproduction: Galerie (www.galeriegalerieweb.com)

• Raphaëll Maïwen has been creating games since childhood with all the software they can find, from PowerPoint to Unity, RPG Maker, Unreal and many others. They democratizes game creation as much as possible, convinced that anyone can make games if given the right tools. They achieves this goal by organizing workshops, conferences and game jams of all kinds. Their favorite themes are vulnerability, queerness and Britney Spears. They are interested in absurd games, rhythm and golf games, and alt-controllers. Outside of video games, they interests include drag, stand-up comedy, body modification, relationships, and again, Britney Spears. https://rafiki.itch.io