Over the course of six years, Patrick Jackson staged two exhibitions of his own work at his Los Angeles apartment complex. The first, House of Double, took place in 2012 in the vacant apartment a few doors down from Jackson’s own; the space acted as a kind of architectural and domestic mirror and included two nearly identical copies of Jackson himself. The second show, DUM MUD, happened in 2018 in Jackson’s own apartment, and consisted of ceramic shoes and wall reliefs.
Two shows for theirs use of space has their aesthetic similarities, and the way they reflected each other over a period of many years. A conceptual continuity connects both shows, as well as a strong visual through line in the form of the burgundy carpeting, outdated fixtures, and the desolate 1970s feel of the apartments themselves. This complex is a place where Patrick lives and works, but at the same time neither apartment is truly a place where he lives and works. One is a few doors down, and the other — his actual apartment — has been cleaned beyond recognition, removed of any personal identification. Like the found objects in House of Double, the apartment in DUM MUD becomes the platonic version of Los Angeles Apartment.
Patrick Jackson. Softcover, 80 pages, full color, one color hand-screened cover, hand-sewn binding. 10.25 X 7.75. Edition of 100, 2020.
