If you visit the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SF MoMA), your eyes might be drawn to an ethereal, abstract, and beautiful collection of colors and objects you can’t quite name: the work of Suzanne Jackson. Jackson moved across North America early in life before settling in San Francisco, where she was hired as a teacher and attended art and ballet classes. Jackson experimented with various genres such as poetry and dance. Her exhibit derives its inspiration from nature’s silent symbolism; painted netting, peanut shells, and string all hang from rafters or are strewn across a platform.
Jackson layers acrylic paint to achieve radiant, dreamy, three-dimensional pieces. Her recent projects focus on “environmental abstractions”—meaning she uses ordinary objects and incorporates them into her art by hand. Jackson would come back to her work every time a new event happened in her life, creating a diary of her changing spirit. In her later work, Jackson’s unique style becomes apparent. Hanging from the ceiling are painted nets, squids, and jellyfish. The exhibit is vivid and mesmerizing, with colors splattered across canvases and dreamy jazz reverberating across the sterile walls. Journal entries and personal insights lie beckoning in glass boxes, and plaques detail the intent behind each brush stroke.
Suzzane Jackson’s latest commission “What Feeds Us?” is a beautiful three dimensional structure of a jellyfish. The area underneath is trash sourced from around Jackson’s studio, and the familiar stain of garbage grounds the otherworldly work. The jellyfish’s tendrils are crackled and purple, contrasting the tanned, dullish body. Gold leaf lines the area below, shimmering despite the drab colors, almost making the jellyfish look alive. The walls are lined with deep blue, making it feel like Suzanne Jackson’s impression of a long decaying sea. Yet, it is clear that this decay is not a natural affliction—instead, it is from direct human action. The garbage polluting this piece is guiltily familiar to the viewer; they remain as Jackson’s clear portrayal of pollution.
Suzanne Jackson’s torn and severed sculptures are not the only memorable exhibit at the SF MoMA; hundreds of pieces paint the walls. Students are granted free admission to the museum, and with a brief BART ride, there are no excuses left to not go. While art may seem mundane, it is a language of the heart, and one is guaranteed to find an enchanting exhibit. For us, Suzanne Jackson reached out her hand and twirled us around her vivid world. The MoMA shows how vibrant or calm art can be, creating forever memorable experiences.