As Donald Trump continues to hit the campaign trail ahead of the November 8 presidential election, it’s natural to expect him to make public appearances. Don’t be fooled by the planned presidential-style motorcade in New York at 1 p.m. on October 25, however: British artist Alison Jackson has enlisted a Trump impersonator for a pointed performance art piece.
The faux-Trump figure will ride in the open air, accompanied by a bevy of beautiful bikini-clad women, each carrying signs featuring controversial and offensive remarks the Republican nominee has made about women. The motorcade will begin at Trump International at Columbus Circle, and travel across town along Central Park South to Trump Tower.
The action is timed to the opening of Jackson’s new show, “Private,” at HG Contemporary in New York, which features staged photographs portraying the private lives of public individuals with surprisingly verisimilitude.
Alison Jackson’s staged Donald Trump photos from the series “Private.” Courtesy of Alison Jackson.
The new Trump works feature the businessman frolicking and posing for selfies with women from his Miss Universe competition, and engaging in complicated grooming rituals, such as standing in front of a leaf-blower to perfect his mysterious orange coif, long the subject of public fascination.
The photos are a follow up to similarly staged scenes that appear to offer a rare glimpse into the lives of the UK’s royal family. Queen Elizabeth can be spotted on the toilet, for instance, or composing a Tweet for the crown’s social media account. Prince William and Kate Middleton, Kim Kardashian, Marilyn Monroe, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton are among Jackson’s other “subjects.”
One of Alison Jackson’s staged Hillary Clinton photos from the series “Private.” Courtesy of Alison Jackson.
“I have created pieces that reflect the constant barrage of media that we live in today with a focus on how politicians and celebrities are created/manufactured by the media,” said Jackson in a statement. “The images showcase our cultural conversations even as they undermine the authenticity of imagery, a devaluation that is exacerbated every minute in our Photoshopped, Instagram world.”
It took Jackson nearly a year to find the perfect lookalike for the Donald for the photo series, she told Vanity Fair, partly because few people wanted to be compared to the billionaire presidential hopeful.
One of Alison Jackson’s staged Barack Obama photos from the series “Private.” Courtesy of Alison Jackson.
“It’s an extraordinary thing,” she said. “I mean, I’ve been really, desperately seeking Donald Trump.”
In addition to the “Private” exhibition, Jackson’s forthcoming book of the same name, featuring new images from the series, is due out October 25, 2016. Private is currently available for pre-order exclusively on Amazon.
“Alison Jackson: Private” opens at HG Contemporary Gallery, 527 West 23rd Street, on October 25.