Aryel René Jackson
A global story
Inheritance
Confuserella
Printmaking
Panels
Artist Statement
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
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©2025 Aryel René Jackson Studio
2021
9:00 minutes
2015
4:25 minutes
In The Origin of the Blues (2015), Jackson reframes the blues beyond its association with sorrow, incorporating found footage, Play-Doh, 3D animation, and archival video to emphasize resilience and transformation. The playful use of materials highlights joy as a strategy for survival, much like how rhythm tap functions in We Are the [Hackers], Baby, [Hackers] Are We as an act of resistance.
Confuserella’s world consists of two imagined spaces: Panfrika, a site of strength, and Plastica, a speculative, colorful realm. These settings mirror Jackson’s personal journey from Louisiana to New York City, reflecting the challenges and newfound sources of joy that come with change. By using animation and tactile materials, Jackson underscores how creativity fosters self-determination and reclaims Black narratives.
Jackson’s work aligns with Afrofuturist thought, using speculative storytelling and multimedia practices to intervene in dominant narratives of Black history. The vibrant colors and experimental techniques position the blues not just as a response to struggle, but as a dynamic source of empowerment. In this way, hacking the blues becomes a method for generating new knowledge and affirming joy as central to Black survival.
In We Are the [Hackers], Baby, [Hackers] Are We (2021), Jackson and Michael J. Love expand on these themes, integrating performance, rhythm tap, and archival imagery to explore Black temporality and resistance. The work asserts that joy persists as a crucial tool for defiance and self-preservation.
Jackson’s early work also gained recognition in significant exhibitions. One of Jackson’s first video works was included in American Beauty, a critically acclaimed exhibition at Susan Inglett Gallery, curated by artist and educator William Villalongo. The exhibition responded to limited conceptions of art’s ability to engage formal beauty while addressing political concerns, as discussed in Ken Johnson’s review of Now Dig This at PS1 MoMA. Following this, Jackson was recognized as an emerging artist in Maria-Christina Villaseñor’s essay "Spectral Projections: Color, Race, and Abstraction" (2015), published by the University of California Press. This essay appeared in Abstract Video: The Moving Image in Contemporary Art, a collection edited by Gabrielle Jennings, which includes contributions on artists such as Mona Hatoum.
Jackson and Love’s broader practice engages with cultural memory, land, and generational knowledge. Works like Descendance (2020), The Future Is A Constant Wake (2019), and All I See Is Blue (2017-2018) center soil as both a material and metaphor for history. Their approach draws from Black feminist methodologies that challenge archival absences and reimagine historical narratives.
In recognition of their work, Jackson and Love were awarded the 2021 Tito’s Prize by a curatorial panel including Christopher Blay, Chief Curator of the Houston Museum of African American Culture; Lise Ragbir, Independent Curator and Writer; and Coka Treviño, Curator and Director of Programming at Big Medium. Their practice continues to push the boundaries of storytelling, performance, and speculative history to reframe Black pasts and futures.