It seems Americans like nothing more than seeing the Queen on the throne, but when it comes to George Bush sitting on his, they are altogether more squeamish.
Whether it’s the political climate within which they live — just under two weeks before election day — or whether Alison Jackson’s art is just a little too close to the truth, one thing is clear; they might get the joke, but not all of them like it.
Jackson’s first United States solo show, entitled Election Year 2004, opened in New York on Thursday night showing a selection of new, and some not-so-new images for which she has become known. The grainy pieces, reminiscent of snatched paparazzi photographs show politicians, royalty and celebrities usually in compromising positions, yet ones that are not so far removed from reality that at first glance they might be real.
However, all is not what it seems: Jackson uses look-alikes to portray all the celebrities and public figures.
Visitors to her show on Friday were treated to Elton John being given an enema, a rather bored looking Mick Jagger hanging lacy black underwear next to a toddler’s outfit on a suburban washing line, and the Queen sitting on the toilet reading a newspaper.
There were lots of pictures with a George Bush lookalike — in one he is using Tony Blair as a footstool to get on his horse, in another he practises his shooting skills on images of Osama Bin Laden and Michael Moore (the latter the more often hit target).
Yet it was President Bush sitting on the toilet reading a comic that caused the most consternation.
Owen Clements (22) a gallery assistant from New York said that he walked past the gallery most days and had seen the picture of Bush getting on his horse; he thought it was real until he visited the exhibition. He was uncomfortable with the image of Bush in the bathroom, yet found the similar one of the Queen amusing. His friend Haley Cohen suggested this was accounted for by his US-centric viewpoint.
He replied: ”It’s not funny but Americans are so offended by him that it’s an image that’s probably not so far from the truth which makes them more depressing.”
Jackson, whose images appear weekly in Guardian Weekend magazine, has created the occasional storm. Her controversial work first gained notoriety in 1999 when she gave us an insight into another dimension — Princess Diana was ‘pictured’ with a mixed-race child, next to Dodi Fayed.
But the outrage was thin on the ground in New York, where the big concern seemed to be more about getting rid of Bush rather than getting angry at satirical photographs of him.
Josh C Nusbaum (29) from Long Island City, said: ”I don’t care about seeing any more anti-Bush art, I’d rather just get him out of the White House. Perhaps I’d have had a different view if I saw this earlier in the year.”
Outside New York it could be a different story, said Leslie Tonkonow (45) a gallery owner: ”I don’t think it’s something that would offend people in New York, but if it was shown in other parts of the country then it certainly could.”
After the exhibition Jackson was pleased with the response to her photographs. ”People really seemed to enjoy the work,” she said. ”It was very bizarre to see people’s reactions. One woman was laughing so hard she was almost on the floor, but maybe that’s because Americans are more outspoken than British. You just wouldn’t see that at a show in Britain.”
She was also surprised by how open-minded they were and explained how a group of elderly women had attended a preview. ”They were really having a good laugh … they seemed to love the filthiness.” – Guardian Unlimited Â