John Reno Jackson

About

John Reno Jackson is an interdisciplinary artist from the Cayman Islands, currently based in London, England. He draws inspiration from his Caymanian/British heritage and the dynamic environment surrounding him. He is currently pursuing an MA in Painting at the Royal College of Art,  where he is a recipient of the prestigious Sir Frank Bowling Scholarship, and has made history as the first Caymanian to attend the school.

His artwork has been showcased in numerous exhibitions, “Gestures of the Unseen”, TERN Gallery, Bahamas (2024), “The Nomenclature of Colours III”, The Slade School of Fine Art, Corner 7, (2024), “Conversations with the Past – In the Present Tense”, NGCI (2023), “Caribbean Linked VI”, Atelier 89’, Aruba (2022), and most notably his solo show “a heron amongst the storm”, NGCI (2022). Jackson has been honoured to receive grants from CATAPULT I & II (2020, 2022), organised by Kingston Creative, Fresh Milk Barbados, and AFJ. He was the first Caymanian to attend the PADA Studios residency program in Barreiro, Portugal, in 2020 and again in 2023. In the summer of 2022, he had the privilege of attending Caribbean Linked VI at Atelier 89′ in Aruba.

Jackson’s work reflects current and historical contexts within the Cayman Islands and the Caribbean region. He uses diverse materials and techniques to integrate traditional Caymanian crafts, such as the silver thatch palm, with found objects like fabrics, dirt, sand, and discarded ephemera.

Jackson is intrigued by the contrasting values assigned to objects and their inherent identities. Investigating the narratives from an artwork’s experience with nature, culture, and the viewer – makes it possible to understand the plurality of post-colonial experience. Recently, he has been experimenting with placing artwork outdoors, exposing it to human interaction and environmental conditions, and uniting multiple narratives.