Jacob Jackson’s sculptures present a bold and psychologically charged exploration of identity, transformation, and the shifting architecture of the self.
Jacob Jackson creates psychologically charged sculptures that merge realism and abstraction, using clay, glaze, and symbolic form to explore identity, transformation, and the human condition.
Working primarily in stoneware, porcelain, and layered underglazes, Jackson merges figurative realism with symbolic abstraction, creating works that question how we present ourselves, what we inherit, and what we evolve into. Each piece stands as a distinct emotional state, yet together they form a unified portrait of inner metamorphosis.
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Euro-Mount Invasive, Jacob Jackson, 2024, stoneware, 17 x 11 x 9 in. / 43.18 x 27.94 x 22.86 cm.
In Euro-Mount Invasive, Jackson creates a self-portrait crowned with deer antlers, a hybrid form that conjures nature, mythology, and vulnerability. Sculpted from stoneware and glazed with soft, muted tones, the head is rendered with an almost classical sensitivity, while the antlers erupt like an intrusion from another realm. The title references invasive species and trophy mounts, suggesting the pressures, external and internal, that shape a person. The work becomes a meditation on masculinity, instinct, and the emotional residue of survival, turning the artist’s own likeness into a living symbol of adaptation.
Bad Boy (Self Portrait), Jacob Jackson, 2024, stoneware, 22 x 9 x 9 in. / 55.88 x 22.86 x 22.86 cm.
Bad Boy (Self Portrait) pushes this metamorphosis further. Here, two sculpted hands rise from the head like mischievous horns, shifting the imagery from mythic to psychological. The expression, caught between defiance and resignation, deepens the tension between persona and authenticity. Jackson’s layered low-temperature underglazes introduce dramatic tonal contrasts, amplifying the surreal presence of the work. The piece probes the idea of performance, how rebellion, humor, and resistance often mask more vulnerable truths. It is both confession and caricature, reflecting the artist’s willingness to expose the complexities of self-image.
States if Mind, Jacob Jackson, 2024, porcelain, 21.5 x 9 x 9 in. / 54.61 x 22.86 x 22.86 cm.
With States of Mind, Jackson steps into abstraction while retaining the human form as implied foundation. The wheel-thrown porcelain components stack into a totemic structure, each section a different volume, shade, and contour. The soft gradients of blue, teal, and rose blur into one another like shifting moods. While no literal face appears, the sculpture reads as an evolving psychological landscape, layered, balanced, and constantly recalibrating. It embodies the cyclical, fluid nature of consciousness, suggesting that identity is not fixed but built from moments, emotions, and transformations that accumulate over time.
Across these three works, Jacob Jackson constructs a multidimensional study of selfhood, both intimate and archetypal. Antlers, hands, and stacked forms become metaphors for instinct, persona, and internal architecture. Together, the sculptures examine the pressures that shape us, the masks we adopt, and the fluidity of the mind. Jackson’s blend of realism and abstraction allows each work to stand independently, yet their shared emotional gravity creates a cohesive narrative about becoming, unbecoming, and emerging anew.
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