Alison Jackson. Stern FOTOGRAFIE Portfolio No.70

One of the most imaginative and original photographers working today. Work that entertains — and holds up a mirror to our bizarre muddling of private and public worlds

Alison Jackson’s staged realism toys with our voyeuristic and fame-fueled fantasies. Her mockumentary approach uses look-alikes to create elaborate imaginary scenes of famous people. Cheeky and often shocking, her fabulously fake scenarios question the levels of reality present in our media-saturated existences. Along the way, she challenges us to question how much of what we know (or think we know) about well-known figures can actually be true. Could it all really be a deluded projection of our own mundane lives? Is loneliness and disconnection at the heart of wanting to come close to our famous “friends?” Why are we so curious about people we’ll probably never meet — whose whole existence might just be a carefully constructed performance?