Biography

Ayana V Jackson’s work examines the complexities of photographic representation and the role of the camera in constructing identity. Using performance and studio-based portraiture, her practice can be seen as a map of the ethical considerations and relationships involved between the photographer, subject and viewer. With a particular interest in the 19th and early 20th century representation of black bodies, Jackson steps into the world of her reference materials as a way to question the role the history of photography and fine art played in the construction of race and gender stereotype. Born in the US, based between Johannesburg, New York and Paris, Jackson’s work can be found in the collections of the Studio Museum in Harlem, New Jersey’s Newark Museum, Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Photography, The Blachere Foundation in France, Princeton University, The University of South Africa (UNISA), Morocco's Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden in Marrakech along with varied corporate collections including JP Morgan and Lucent Technologies.