Alison Jackson
Truth is Dead
Royalty, politicians, and all sorts of celebrities – no one is safe from Alison Jackson’s humorous photographic antics in the exhibition Truth is Dead at Fotografiska. With the help of look‑alikes, she creates photographs in which celebrities are shown privately doing scandalous things. The kind that often confirm our worst prejudices… and fears…
Challenging the boundaries of our perception
Alison Jackson is a contemporary artist who, through her realistic photographs, pushes the boundaries of our perception – what is real and what is imagined?
She was born in Hampshire, now lives and works in London, and has studied Fine Art Sculpture at Chelsea College of Art in London and Fine Art Photography at the Royal College of Art.
The exhibition Truth is Dead presents photographs that are, to say the least, rich in fantasy. Jackson uses look‑alikes of celebrities and royalty, placing these doubles in private, sometimes intimate and vulnerable situations. Through these staged images, she explores how the depicted celebrities influence our perception and raises questions about celebrity culture and the public’s appetite for gossip.
"Truth is dead. Nothing that is presented can be trusted; everything can be faked and nothing is authentic. What does that do to us as human beings? What does it do to our view of the world and our experience of one another? These are the questions I want to draw attention to"
Razor‑sharp humor cuts through the media noise
This is an artist who leaves nothing to chance. She works more like a researcher, or a detective. Always driven by a passion to find the exact angle, the perfect casting and mask, the precise placement of carefully chosen props that most effectively tell the story.
These are stories whose razor‑sharp humor slices through the media noise and make the viewer stop in astonishment; Wait, is there photographic proof of Trump having sex with Miss Mexico? How was Jackson there to capture the moment when Queen Elizabeth took a cozy selfie with the royal family, or when a very drunk Angela Merkel lay wearing nothing but fur in the arms of François Hollande, or Barack Obama sneaking out for a smoke…