Ayana V Jackson PROJECTION SURFACE

pro·jec·tion : the attribution of one’s own ideas, feelings, or attitudes to other people or to objects

sur·face: : the exterior or upper boundary of an object  or body

P R E S S   R E L E A S E

Gallery MOMO is proud to present Ayana Vellissia Jackson’s PROJECTION SURFACE, opening Thursday 25 August 2011 @ 18h00 – 20h00 and concluding 19 September 2011.

“Ayana V. Jackson’s practice is part of a growing interest in exploring African identity beyond a centralized dialog that has, up to now, positioned African-American and Black British life as indicative of all African Diasporic experience. Through her images, Jackson not only asks questions about the social, economic, and political role Africans in the Americas play in their communities, in their society, and in the global African/ Diaspora, but also the platforms available for engagement with their cultural heritage.”

Bisi Silva, Contact Sheet, 2001

Ayana V. Jackson (born May 14, 1977) is an American photographer and filmmaker. Born in New Jersey, USA, she received her B.A. in Sociology from Spelman College in 1999. In 2005 at the invitation of Professor Khatharina Sieverding, she studied critical theory and large format printing at the University of Arts Berlin. She is most recognized for her focus on Contemporary Africa and the African Diaspora, principally the series African by Legacy, Mexican by Birth.

Known for approaching her subjects in a manner that is equal parts personal, technical, and intense, Ayana Vellissia Jackson’s images provide viewers with compelling glimpses of a human condition that overflows borders. Her current exhibition titled, Projection Surface, is a survey of three bodies of work that explore photography and iconography. The first series, Maria del Latte, presents the Virgin Mary as patron saint of the surrogate mother, the nanny, and the wet nurse, while the second, Povporn, addresses representation of the impoverished body in photography. The last in the series, Black Madonna questions the celebrity adoption trend. Curated by Ingrid LaFleur, each of the included works consider ways the body of the “under privileged” is activated as a surface upon which the spectator can attach subjective meaning.

These works function as a continuation of Jackson’s concentration on complex identities birthed by our rapidly expanding global community. Her work on Contemporary African and African Diasporic societies finds itself at the intersection of the social sciences, reportage, and fine art fields. She has exhibited in association with Institute Française (Paris), Rush Arts (New York), Galerie Peter Herrmann (Berlin), Primo Marella Gallery (Milan), the Enthoven Family Trust (South Africa), the Franklyn H. Williams CCC/African Diaspora Institute (New York), San Francisco Mexican Museum, Museo del Hombre (Santo Domingo), and the Museum of Contemporary African Diaspora Art (New York). She has lectured and conducted workshops at university and arts institutions in the US, Dominican Republic, Colombia. Mexico, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. Her work can be found in the World Bank, Alcatel Lucent Foundation, and Wedge (Toronto) permanent collections.

Please feel free to contact Gallery MOMO on +27 11 327 3247, or e-mail karen@gallerymomo.com. High resolution images and more information on the artist are available on request.