Alison Jackson

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For the Canadian cyclist, see Alison Jackson (cyclist).

Alison Jackson
Alison Jackson at Haifa Museum of Art, signs her book (4).jpg
Jackson at the Haifa Museum of Art in 2017
Born
Alison Mowbray-Jackson

15 May 1970 (1970-05-15) (age 51)
Hampshire, England
EducationChelsea College of Art and Design
Royal College of Art
OccupationArtist, photographer
WebsiteAlisonJackson.com

Alison Jackson (born 15 May 1970) is an English contemporary BAFTA and multi award winning artist, photographer and filmmaker whose work explores the theme of celebrity culture. Jackson makes convincingly realistic work about celebrities doing things in private using cleverly styled lookalikes. Jackson raises questions on our voyeurism, on the power and seductive nature of imagery, and on our need to believe.

Education[]

Jackson attended the Chelsea College of Art and Design in London, and graduated as a mature student with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art Sculpture. She became an abstract painter. In 1997, her graduation piece, Women on the Crucifix, was priced at £1,500, with its value increasing tenfold over the next five years.[1] She later earned an MA in Fine-Art Photography from the Royal College of Art (RCA) in London.

Career[]

Jackson photographing the Royal Family, posed by lookalikes

In 1999, Jackson created black-and-white photographs that appeared to show Princess Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed with a mixed-race love child. The photographs, titled Mental Images, were part of her graduation show at the RCA. She has used lookalikes to create photographs and films of celebrities in private situations.[2]

Jackson wrote, directed, and co-produced BBC Two's 2003 series Doubletake with Tiger Aspect. The show won an award at the 2002 BAFTAs.[3][4] She made a series of mockumentaries and fake biopics for Channel 4 about public figures, using George W Bush and Tony Blair lookalikes in a series of staged scenes of their public life. Blaired Vision, broadcast on 26 June 2007, coincided with Blair's exit from office.[5]

Jackson's first solo museum show was at the Musee de la Photographie a Charleroi, Brussels, Belgium in 2002 she also showed that year at the Paris Photo, Museé du Louvre.

In 2003 Jackson exhibited her work at the Musee de l’Eysee, Lusanne, France and at the ICP International Center of Photography, New York, U.S.A.

In 2004 she had a solo show at Julie Saul Gallery; New York, U.S.A. and in About Face: Photography and the Death of the Portrait;  Hayward Gallery; London, U.K.

In 2005 she was part of the exhibition Superstars hosted at Kunsthalle Wien and BA-CA Kunstforum, Vienna, Austria. In 2006, she gave a talk at the Mak Museum, Vienna, Austria with Joschka Fischer, Vice Chancellor of Germany.

In 2008 Jackson exhibited a solo show at M&B Gallery in LA and Hamiltons Gallery, London and later that year Jackson exhibited at The New Art Gallery; Walsall and at Paris Photo again. In 2010 Jackson exhibited her photographs in Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera Since 1870 at the Tate Modern; London, which then toured to San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, U.S.A. and further in 2010 she showed her work in Rude Britannia: British Comic Art; Tate Britain; London.

On 1 April 2011, Jackson launched a celebrity news website to coincide with her third book, Up The Aisle, consisting of staged images of the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, using a lookalike couple. These images were displayed at the Ben Brown Gallery in London. Her work was also shown at the Peeping Tom KunstHalle in Amsterdam.

2011-2013 Jackson produced topical clips and photographs for her 'column' in Sunday Times online and Sunday Times Magazine with Martin Ivens and Sarah Baxter.  Prior to that she had a photographic column in The Guardian under Katherine Viner.

In 2014, Jackson exhibited her hyper realistic, life size sculpture of George Bush struggling with a Rubik’s Cube and her photographs in the exhibition Paparazzi! Photographers, Stars and Artists; Centre Pompidou-Metz, and at the Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt

In November 2016, Jackson led a protest rally featuring a Donald Trump lookalike, the protest involved hundreds of women bearing placards "Don't snatch my pussy", "I am not a slut" and "Not my President" in front of Trump Tower, Manhattan, New York. Every 5 metres the NYPD stopped the fake motorcade whilst driving down Central Park West to get to Trump Tower and each time more and more crowds and flash mobs spontaneously surrounded the fake Trump causing the very thing the NYPD were trying to prevent - a complete traffic jam of the area - The NYPD were forced to do a deal and escort Jackson and the Fake Trump in the fake motorcade with flashing police blue light and sirens to the front of the Trump Tower for quick 5 min photo call with Trumps real security standing beside the fake Trump - Jackson could not ever have got permission for this nor had the budget for it. She is very grateful to the NYPD and Trump security guards.

Jackson exhibited in 2016 at Culture Station 284, Seoul, South Korea then exhibited her work in 2017 at The Museum of Art Haifa, AnonynX: The End of the Privacy Era, Haifa, Israel. The Museum exhibited 50ft wide photograph of Jackson’s Princess Diana giving the finger around the city.

In 2018 Jackson exhibited a controversial piece, Trump with Miss Mexico, at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London curated by Grayson Perry and in 2019  had a solo show,  Truth is Dead at Fotografiska, the famous photography Gallery, in Stockholm which toured to Tallin. Large billboards around Tallin were ordered to be taken down on grounds of indecency.*

Jackson performed a one-woman show, Shot to Fame, in 2018 at Soho Theatre,[6] and Double Fake Show in 2019 at Leicester Square Theater.[7]

That year she opened the exhibition, Fake Truth with Westlicht Museum, Vienna and gave a talk with Christrian Kern, former Chancellor of Austrian. In 2020 Jackson has exhibited at Fotografiska at Neuehouse, in Hollywood, Los Angeles which is currently open now. She is due to perform her theatre performance there in Spring 2021.

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 and people with disabilities, who haven’t had a chance to showcase their talent yet.

Jackson creates hyper realistic silicon sculptures: George Bush, 2007; exhibited at The Tate,  Liverpool Biennial;  The Queen on Loo, 2021; and most recently and controversially Donald Trump, 2020.

Jackson has taken many portraits of (real) celebrities including Sir Elton Jon, Ralph Fiennes, Boris Johnson, David Cameron, Ben Cumberbatch, Eddie Redmayne, Graham Norton, Vanessa Redgrave, Tom Hollander, Gillian Anderson, Cillian Murphy, Richard E. Grant and Tom Ford among many others. Her portraits are collected by the National Portrait Gallery and the Parliamentary Art Collection.

Jackson is collected by many public Museum Collections, including: The Parliamentary Art Collection, London;  The National Portrait Gallery, London;  SF MOMA, San Francisco;  The Royal College of Art, London;  Musée de la Photographie, Charleroi, Brussels;  The Frances Foundation Paris; The International Centre of Photography; Pompidou Centre.

Jackson gives lectures and talks around the world;  is an original TEDster, Cannes Lions, TedX around the globe, Science Museum,  Design Indaba, Cape Town; The Saatchi Gallery,  RIBA, Goldsmiths University, RCA, UAL, BBC Worldwide, BBDO and Directors Lounge, Epica and Golden Drum amongst others.  She has won multiple awards for her creative work such as  BAFTA-BBC TV Series for Innovation, Infinity Award-ICP, Clio Award, The Photographers Gallery Award, D&AD, Best of the Best, Creative Circle Award amongst others.

Charitable work: Trustee of Chelsea Art Theatre;  A member of the Alumni Council for The Royal College of Art and is an Ambassador for Spinal Injuries Association, UK;  Jackson mentors young people and actively supports many charities including  MacMillan Cancer Support,  Marie-Curie, Jeans for Genes Day; Cancer Research UK amongst others.

Art Exhibitions[]

  • 1997 Attix Studio Gloucester Road, London, UK
  • 1999 The Blue Gallery; "Temple of Diana Show" curated by Neal Brown
  • 1999 The Royal Festival Hall, London; "Articultural Show"
  • 1999 The Richard Salmon Gallery, London, UK
  • 2000 Edinburgh Festival
  • 2000 Art 2000 London
  • 2000 The Richard Salmon Gallery, London, UK
  • 2001 Jerwood Space ; "Mental Images", London, UK
  • 2002 Paris Photo, Musée du Louvre, Paris, France
  • 2002 The Musee de la Photographie a Charleroi, Brussels, Belgium
  • 2003 Female Turbulence; AEROPLASTICS Contemporary; Brussels, Belgium
  • 2003 ICP International Center of Photography, New York
  • 2003 Musée de l'Elysée, Lausanne.
  • 2003 'Mental Images on War’; The Richard Salmon Gallery, London, UK
  • 2003 Le Mois de la Photo, Montreal, Canada
  • 2004 About Face: Photography and the Death of the Portrait; Hayward Gallery; London, UK
  • 2004 Photo, London, UK
  • 2004  Election Year 2004; Julie Saul Gallery; New York, U.S.A.
  • 2005 Superstars; Kunsthalle Wien and BA-CA Kunstforum, Vienna, Austria
  • 2006 Mak Museum, Vienna, Austria
  • 2007 Paris Photo, Hamiltons Gallery, London, UK
  • 2007 Confidential; M+B Gallery; Los Angeles, U.S.A.
  • 2008 Starstruck: Contemporary Art and the Cult of Celebrity; The New Art Gallery; Walsall, UK
  • 2008 Bush with Rubik’s Cube Intervention Sculpture; Tate Liverpool Biennial, Tate Liverpool, UK
  • 2008 Seeing is Deceiving; Hamiltons Gallery; London, UK
  • 2009 J. Sheekey, London, UK
  • 2010 Rude Britannia: British Comic Art; Tate Britain; London, UK
  • 2010 Exposed:Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera Since 1870; Tate Modern; London, U.K.
  • 2011 SF Moma, San Francisco, USA
  • 2011 The Royal Family; Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, London, UK
  • 2011 Peeping Tom, KunstHalle Amsterdam, Nederlands
  • 2011 Alison Jackson: Up the Aisle; Ben Brown Fine Arts, London, UK
  • 2011 Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera Since 1870; Friedman Gallery, Walker Art Centre; U.S.A.
  • 2013 Anderson Pertwee and Gold, London, UK
  • 2013 Fondation D’Entreprise Frances, France
  • 2014 Centre Pompidou, Paparazzi, Paris, France
  • 2014 Schon Museum, Frankfurt, Germany
  • 2015 NRW/Forum, Düsseldorf, Germany
  • 2016 Museum Villa Rot, Burgrieden, Germany
  • 2016 HG Contemporary, New York, USA
  • 2016 Culture Station 284, Seoul, South Korea
  • 2017 London Art Fair, London, UK
  • 2017 Haifa Museum of Art, Haifa, Israel: "AnonymX: The End of the Privacy Era"
  • 2018, The Royal Academy of Art, 150th Summer Exhibition,[8] London, UK
  • 2019, Fotografiska, Tallinn, Estonia[9]
  • 2019 Truth is Dead Fotografiska, Stockholm, Sweden
  • 2019 Fake Truth; Westlicht Museum, Vienna, Austria
  • 2020 Private; Camera Work, Berlin, Germany
  • 2021 Fake Truth; The Photogallery, Sweden
  • 2021 Double Take; Coe and Co, Nantucket, Palm Beach
  • 2021 Truth is Dead; Fotografiska, LA
  • 2021 True Fictions; Palazzo Magnani, Italy

Bibliography[]

  • Private (2004, Penguin Books; ISBN 978-0-14-101918-5)
  • Confidential: What you see in this book is not 'real' (2007, Taschen; ISBN 978-3-82-284638-4)
  • Up the Aisle, (2011, Quadrille publishing)
  • Stern Fotographie 70 (2012, teNeues; ISBN 978-3-65-200071-0)
  • Private, (2016 published by Alison Jackson)
  • Rizzoli 2021 in development

Television[]

Jackson has created many TV shows and was the artist and creator behind BBC Two's 2003 series Doubletake, which she created, wrote, directed and co- produced with Tiger Aspect and for which she won and was nominated for BAFTAS.[4][5].  She made a series of fake documentaries, fake bio pics, about public figures for Channel 4, which included narratives of George W Bush and Tony Blair using lookalikes in a series of staged,  private, 'behind the facade' scenes of their public life. Jackson also wrote, directed and produced a film devoted to Blair, which coincided with his exit from office, entitled Blaired Vision, shown on Channel 4 2007. Alongside these commissions from Channel 4, she made other films including Tony Blair: Rock Star and Sven: The Coach, the Cash and His Lovers.[6]

In 2008 Jackson created, directed and produced clips for Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live, USA for Lorne Michaels. Tina Fey wrote the scripts.

Jackson has hosted in a number of TV shows she has created where she has written, directed, co produced notably for ITV and SKY. The Andy Warhol documentary for ITV was Jackson’s take on the master of Pop Art where she presented and hosted the show on camera.  ‘Fake’ End of Year Reviews for SKY with behind the scenes private clips of the rich and famous. Jackson is currently in the process of developing a new TV series for 2022.

  • 2001–2003 Schweppes UK: advertising campaign. Created concept, devised ideas and photographed
  • 2002 Doubletake. BBC2. Created, directed, wrote special. BAFTA
  • 2003 Doubletake. BBC2. Created, directed, wrote and produced 6 part series based on Mental Images
  • 2003 Doubletake Christmas special
  • 2004/5 Saturday Night Live, NBC
  • 2005 Channel 4: Not the Royal Wedding
  • 2005 Channel 4: The Secret Election
  • 2006 Channel 4: Tony Blair, Rock Star
  • 2006 Channel 4: Sven: The Cash, The Coach & his Lovers
  • 2007 Channel 4: Blaired Vision
  • 2008 BBC2: Through the Keyhole guest home owner first broadcast on 28 May
  • 2009 ITV1: The South Bank Show – 'Alison Jackson on Warhol
  • 2010: BBC Historical Series
  • 2011 & 2012 Sky: ‘The Alison Jackson Review’
  • 2012 BBC: Celebrity BitchSlap News
  • 2015 BBC: La Trashiata – Opera performed at the Edinburgh Arts Festival

Opera & Theatre[]

  • 2015 La Trashiata: Edinburgh Fringe Festival, BBC Online and Odeon Cinema[10][11]
  • 2015  Edinburgh Festival, La Trashiata Opera, a 'celebrity' performance opera for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, with exclusive screenings on the BBC and Odeon cinemas.
  • 2018-2019 Jackson performed in her own one woman theatre show Shot to Fame - at Soho Theatre and Leicester Square Theater with Double Take Show :  One minute Jackson talks anecdotes showing her films and photographs.  The next minute she takes people from the audience and transforms them on stage into a 'celebrity’ - Stars in your Eyes style - no talent needed! Ending in a Live Photo shoot and a ‘celebrity’ walk - about - are the fans disappointed or excited with their new ’Star’  
    Edinburgh Festival, upcoming new theatre show, 2022/2023

References[]

  1. ^ Groves, Nancy. "The science of art", Newsquest, 13 April 2007. Retrieved 24 December 2008.
  2. ^ Garfield, Simon (7 June 2007). "The real Tony uncovered". The Observer Review. London. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  3. ^ "That's Blair and Becks! No wait..." BBC News Online Magazine. 18 December 2003. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  4. ^ Ferrier, Morwenna (23 January 2011). "Alison Jackson: "I'd love to do Piers Morgan. I'd just use Susan Boyle. They're identical"". The Guardian Review. London. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  5. ^ "Photographer Alison Jackson gives up hope of finding Gordon Brown look-alike". The Telegraph. 25 October 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  6. ^ "ALISON JACKSON : 'SHOT TO FAME' Fake News – Alternative Facts – The gap between the two". Soho Theatre. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  7. ^ Cavendish, Dominic (6 March 2019). "Alison Jackson, Leicester Square Theatre, review: an appealing encounter with the doyenne of fake news". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  8. ^ "163 – TRUMP AND MISS MEXICO by Alison Jackson". se.royalacademy.org.uk. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  9. ^ Estonian gallery told to remove fake Trump and Diana billboard images The Guardian, 2019
  10. ^ "La Trashiata": A Story in the Public Domain, BBC at the Edinburgh Festivals 2015
  11. ^ Crick, Michael (22 August 2014). ""La Trashiata": satirising celebrity culture the Alison Jackson way". channel4.com/news. Channel 4. Retrieved 1 December 2015. ... a brilliant satire of modern celebrity culture. The Queen, Princes William and Harry; Kate and Pippa Middleton; Putin, Gordon Ramsay, David Beckham, Nigella Lawson and Charles Saatchi; Madonna and Lady Gaga, among others, all feature in a string of 14 famous, but rewritten, operatic arias."

External links[]

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