Today we’d like to introduce you to Jack Holly.
Hi Jack, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I Grew up in a small town in Kansas where I was primarily raised by grandparents. I worked in the church my grandparents led services at, I didnt have cable or internet until I was about 15ish, and I really loved older movies and comic books. Much of what I explore in my work is inspired by the 1930s-1990s films I grew up watching. The lost Boys, Vertigo, Vincent Price movies, and The Twilight Zone were all staples of my upbringing that I pull from today. the lessons in comic books and the graphic nature of them also finds its way into my art. There’s an epic sense of courage and societal critique in graphic novels, The Invisibles is probably my favorite.
All of those films and comics were timestamps built on the politics and cultural icons of their time. I work with both documentary and staged imagery to try to do the same thing with current events. I utilize different visual languages associated with particular time periods to talk about the dangers of nostalgia and how we keep ignoring the warning signs.
I have had very personal things at stake due to abusive governance and I feel like I should speak about it if I can. It’s important to preserve history and establish truth even if it feels absurd. The entire time I’ve been alive there has been nothing but “political” upheaval and economic uncertainty. Im sitting here watching the government try to erase whole histories and the only reason we have any kind of pushback is because of the history we have recorded. I want to be apart of that legacy and contribute to safeguarding the truth. I’d like to give a voice to resistance because it is important that we remind ourselves of our humanity when things get rocky. Camera’s have a way of making things real-youre embedding importance into whatever exists within the frame. That’s a lot of power and I think that the fragility of our personhood is an important thing to speak on.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the things I learned as a kid that I am superstitious about that “You will have what you say” verse in the Bible. I am no longer a religious person but every time I hit a bump in the road I think about that phrase. There’s been bumps in the road but I sort of refuse to think of them as obstacles. I find that it is much more productive and helpful to view setbacks as an opportunity to problem solve. that is all that art is, figuring out how to say something in the way you’d like to.
As I’ve said before, Gender and sexuality have been a huge issue in both my personal and professional life. It is not easy to deal with certain situations when the highest order of government is telling people that they should despise people like myself. That is something that I will never understand in any situation. You see it happen to every minority group, a scapegoat is a great tool if you want to make people look away while you pickpocket them. I think it’s important to say something if you can. Bullies only have power if you let them scare you.
Financial struggles are always a thing, it’s been this way my whole life. My grandparents worked multiple jobs during the recession, my parents lost their jobs, the market collapsed and it’s been a pretty awkward economic state since. All of my friends feel it, my relatives feel it, and I couldn’t tell you in time in my life where money wasn’t a stressor. I am young, I have worked multiple jobs at one time, and perhaps naively obtained a Bachelor’s degree. That doesn’t seem to mean much anymore and companies “can’t” afford to pay for benefits or incentives to work for them.
I’d say that stress is probably the #1 obstacle. financial, societal, and even thinking about the future is stressful. But the one constant reliever I have always had is my art. I remain positive because a lot of the things that go on are out of my control, and as long as I have my community and camera I will always be good.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I think the thing I am always told when people look at my work is how visceral it is. I was told once that my art feels like you’re looking at something you weren’t supposed to see. I am happy with that response, I also have people who are offended by things I make. Neither response is either good or bad, I believe that the artwork happens in the viewers mind-not necessarily the physical work. I have had parents take children out of exhibitions, I have had people who aren’t happy with how confrontational my work is. at the same time however, When I deviate from that I lose my own voice in the art. the work is not in service of the viewer, it is a direct confrontation with reality. I made a piece critiquing the intersections of politics and religious extremism and had several people walk out of my studio. those kinds of interactions aren’t the driving force behind the work but if the feelings are symptomatic of the art then I feel as though I did my job. I provoked someone to think about something and created connections for them.
With the documentary work, which sometimes is larger than the staged work, is all about exposing as well. I have been traveling the country for about 7 years documenting the rising tensions in our country. everywhere from the border of Mexico, NYC during covid, to the 2024 election in DC. it is important to take pictures, it is important to protect history, and it is important to show people the ugly things that we all like to ignore. White supremacist groups, identity politics, militarization of police, abuse, etc. What would the civil rights movement be remembered as today without Gordon Parks? How do we remember not to cross a line in the sand if we forgot what it was? Vietnam was the first televised and heavily documented invasions in our history and the public became incredibly conflicted about our reasonings for being there. Same with the invasion of Iraq, same with law enforcement abuse, our eyes have become one of the most effective weapons in the fight for peace and justice.
I am most proud of my long running documentary and my most recent film, How to Steal a Plane. It follows a group of forgotten government employees on the last day on earth as they debate whether or not they have any control in their lives. it was the largest production I have ever directed with over 30 people helping me out. I am so thankful for art for introducing me to so many wonderful people and collaborators. I have friends all over the world because of it, that is one of the most rewarding aspects of art. My documentary is titled “Inferno”, it follows the polarization of America since the first trump presidency. My whole life has been overshadowed by political corruption, the threat of war, or the slow descent into a country that betrays its values. this is the crux of the project, a personal diary on the dissonance of being a young person in America right now.
I used to very anxious about saying what I thought or felt about the world because of the environment I grew up in but all of my heroes throughout history really inspired me to try to at least say something. My generation experienced a huge fight for progress in our formative years and I think my messaging is inspired by that. In my work I meet so many new and familiar people that show so much kindness and good to the world and I have always really loved that. When you show someone that you care enough to talk to them about their life they open up and I am constantly inspired by the humanity and kindness in people. I like to get to know the people I photograph because They are more important than the photograph. Its a connection between humans and a record that they had a voice to speak.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I always invite people to go to my website and browse the works, or to find me on instagram. My contact info is on my website and I am happily available to anyone.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jackholly.com
- Instagram: @vertig0s_net
