By Serlin Quah, ZERO1: The Art & Technology Network

The second installment of Life of Leo, where artist David Szlasa re-stages Leonardo DiCaprio films, with himself recast in DiCaprio’s role and recorded in front of an audience. Performed in front of a green screen, the artist recasts himself as Jack Dawson in Titanic, layered back into the film in real-time opposite Kate Winslet. Audience members are able to experience both realities, the artist acting in front of a camera, and simultaneously the post-production “Hollywood” version alongside. Explore issues of copyright and ownership as artist David Szlasa pushes the boundaries of “fair use” and appropriation in his attempt to “take back” Hollywood and push for wider acceptance of Creative Commons and open source media content.

David Szlasa is a video artist and producer.  For his innovative use of video in live performance, Szlasa has received the Gerbode Award, Center for Cultural Innovation Investing in Artists grant, Future Aesthetics Artist Award, Lighting Artists in Dance Award, CA$H Grant, Zellerbach Community Arts Grant and commissions from the National Science Foundation / UC Berkeley, the Triangle Lab, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, 3200 Stories, and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Original works of media based performance include: Life as Leo, Full Balcony, Break Tradition, Connect, Nano, GADGET, My HOT Lobotomy, and Light.  Works in collaboration include Marc Bamuthi Joseph (rbGb, the break/s, Scourge), Joanna Haigood (Between Me and the Other World), Rennie Harris (Facing MeKKa), Deb Margolin (Index to Idioms), Bill Shannon (Sketchy, AOW Remix, Spatial Theory), Sara Shelton Mann (Eye of Leo, Zeropoint, tribes/dominion, shapeshifter, Inspirare), Sarah Wilson (Off the Walls), Myra Melford (Language of Dreams), Yuri Zhukov (coin/c/dance, Enlight), Dohee Lee (GaNaDa) and others.  His work has been exhibited in theaters and galleries worldwide including Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the Walker Arts Center, Chicago MCA, the de Young Museum, The Humana Festival, Sydney Opera House, Oakland Art Gallery, Harare International Festival of the Arts, TSeKh Moscow, PS 122, The Culture Project, and Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Life as Leo will unfold on July 23rd at the ZERO1 Garage as part of our BRING IT! Performance Art Series. This event is free and open to the public.

Let us know you’re coming- RSVP here today!