Bill Jacobson

Bill Jacobson (born 1955) is widely known for his blurry black-and-white portrait photographs of the 1980s, which referenced the AIDS epidemic in their implications of fleeting presence and human fragility. Whether shooting figures, street scenes or landscapes, Jacobson has consistently projected a sensation of both personal and collective memories fading into oblivion. A Series of Human Decisions presents a new body of work as sharp as his previous work was immaterial, and signals a whole new approach to similarly melancholic imagery. Here, crystal-clear renderings of vacated, somewhat lonesome spaces, both private and industrial, inside and outside, intimate and alienating, convey the extreme constructedness of what surrounds us. As Jacobson explains, the title “refers to the idea that we live in a highly constructed world. The world is just that, a series of human decisions, one layered upon another over time. We move constantly from one fabricated arena to another.” This monograph includes an in-depth interview between the artist and Ian Berry.

Bill Jacobson's photographs resist easy identification. They are blurred, diffuse and atmospheric, depicting only the vague outlines of urban scenes, rural landscapes and human figures. Enveloped by a dark or light mist, these shadowy forms refute the premise that photographs capture reality and serve as a reliable aid to memory. Instead, his photographs are images of vague recollections and forgotten experiences. They speak of mortality and dissolution, not only of the body but of its surroundings as well. His latest works, presented here, are related to two earlier series from the 1990s which were direct responses to the AIDS epidemic, but are more open-ended and universal in spirit.