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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Alison Jackson: Truth Is Dead

Nov 19 – Dec 18, 2020
6121 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028, United States

For more than 20 years, the British-born contemporary artist Alison Jackson has been using look-alikes to create hyperrealistic photographs that appear to catch out Hollywood actors, royals, world leaders, and the like in intimate or compromising moments. The thesis question behind Jackson’s work has not changed: Is there something dishonest about photography, what it shows and what it leaves out? It’s a question that’s become even more relevant in our era of fake news. Fascinated by celebrity culture and the public’s increasing voyeurism, Jackson’s latest exhibition, “Truth Is Dead,” features 60 parody portraits. Her pop pantheon includes Donald Trump, the British royal family, Marilyn Monroe, Kim and Kanye West, Elton John, and David and Victoria Beckham. An unpredictable journey with a cast of famous faces, Jackson’s exhibition might well have been titled “Double Take.” —B.A.

Alison Jackson, “Trump Money. This is not Donald Trump” © Alison Jackson.