Candice BreitzKing (A Portrait of Michael Jackson), 2005
Candice Breitz’s ‘King (A Portrait of Michael Jackson)’ is a 16-channel video installation that forms part of her acclaimed ‘Legendary’ series, in which the artist examines the construction of celebrity and the emotional investment it inspires in fans. For this work, Breitz cast sixteen devoted Michael Jackson fans from around the world, each of whom was recorded in a professional recording studio in Berlin. Wearing headphones, the fans perform the full vocal track of Jackson’s 1982 album ‘Thriller’, singing every word a cappella. These individual performances are presented on separate video monitors arranged in a grid, with the sound programmed to switch between solo and choral moments, creating a shifting, collective reinterpretation of the iconic album.
The installation draws attention to the porous boundary between personal identity and public image, showing how deeply the mythology of a global pop icon can embed itself within private lives. Breitz deliberately strips away the musical instrumentation, focusing solely on the fans’ voices and physical expressions, which range from reverent and joyful to awkward or emotionally raw. While Michael Jackson himself remains entirely absent from the screen, his presence is vividly reanimated through the devoted enactments of his followers. King invites viewers to reflect on the dynamics of idolisation, the role of the media in shaping cultural icons, and the space where personal devotion meets collective memory.
