Or the intimate, often salacious, imagined private moments of media icons such as the Queen of England, Kim Kardashian, Prince Harry and Meghan, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Donald Trump, and historically, Diana Princess of Wales, Marilyn Monroe, and JFK.
Jackson’s work stress-test the implicit belief that a photograph can capture a frozen moment of ‘truth’.
‘At best, a photograph of a celebrity reproduces something authentic only at the very moment the shutter clicks’ says the artist ‘yet we have been teased into giving these moments an absolute and unquestioned authority. However, what we actually do is create a narcissistic circle where we assert our control over the object of desire: we transform our celebrities into what we want. This whole projective process is further exaggerated by our capacity for fantasy and the inherently titillating nature of the image of a celebrity like Marilyn in flagrante. In this way, my productions, charged with desire, have become more real than the real life model they are based on, evolving into a ‘mental image’ rather than a direct record of reality’
Jackson’s work, her subversive form of social commentary which has its historical roots in artist William Hogarth, strips away the veneer of PR and hype that prop up the celebrities that come under her scrutiny. Using the celebrity icon to address a deeper universal lineage, the archetypal characters that define the history of human identity and the often humorous struggle of how they cope in the age of mass mediation.
In 2019 Jackson founded and launched a photography competition called A Day in Your Life, aimed at discovering young talent and budding photographers, from disadvantaged backgrounds, all minority groups including BAME communities, people with disabilities, and anyone who hasn’t had a chance to showcase their talent yet.
Jackson mentors young people and is an Member of the Alumni Council for The Royal College of Art; Trustee of Chelsea Art Theatre ; and Ambassador for the Spinal Injuries Association.
