Jackson O’Brasky

New York Academy of Art

Artwork title: Grim Pedagogy
oil on canvas | 48 x 36 inches

Tell us about the work that you have submitted.
Grim Pedagogy was my attempt to describe the mechanisms through which the military-industrial complex pervades our lives and indoctrinates our students, resulting in mass violence both abroad and at home.

How do you describe your work and practice?
I am painting after the end of the world. Using representational techniques in the surrealist mode, my work crafts allegorical narratives to reveal the ghosts of civilization and its discontents.

What motivated you to apply to the AXA Art Prize?
I think of my work as figurative, and I was interested in securing my work’s inclusion in a conversation about figurative art.

What inspires your work?
My work is inspired by the relationship between climate change and capitalism, and the loss of social cohesion that has arisen as a result of that relationship.

www.jacksonobrasky.com
Instagram | @jackson_obrasky