Bio
Education
University of the Arts, London:
BA Hons Digital Media Production
Art Academy London
CityLit London
Artist Jacqui Cooke, is an award-winning multi-disciplined visual artist best known for her ‘Our Veterans’ and ‘Plandemic’ collections.
Cooke was born in Britain to parents who travelled from Jamaica (as part of the Windrush Generation) and settled in London. Her childhood ambition was to be an artist, however, the challenges and chances of success as an individual of African Descent in Britain, was deemed very slim by her parents, who encouraged a different career path.
Cooke held on to the love and passion for art and eventually chose to embark on an artistic journey, after a successful career in various creative related roles. Her work varies in size and covers various themes that depict both the achievements and challenges of individuals of African descent.
In 2018, Cooke held her first solo exhibition, “Who I Am”, Stratford London, in collaboration with the London Borough of Newham, celebrating 70 years since the arrival of the Windrush Generation.
Artist Statement
I am a self-taught artist, and fortunately in a position to explore boundaries in expressing my creativity.
In 2020, following the onslaught of the pandemic, my art shifted – we all were faced with uncertainty, and this had a huge impact on my frame of reference. I developed the passion for storytelling, which has been captured in many of my artworks.
Observing the curriculum of my children, which served as a reminder of my own, I recognised the importance there was, for representations of positive role models of African descent. The media often presented negative stereotypes through their news feeds. I wanted to change that by highlighting individuals, and elevate them for the contributions they had made to British society.
My portraiture and figurative artworks are to inspire awe and give insight to the stories, that have been untold. Individuals from the African diaspora and other communities, feel a sense of pride and leverage an understanding of such stories.
Hello
I am a British born, Jamaican female, who grew up in London.
Having always been very proud of my ethnicity, I started to realise this defined who I was, when I was seen; this defined how I would progress in my career, when I challenged for that promotion; and also defined how I am perceived in society as an artist, until I accepted the value of my own perceptions.
I choose to live my life, without labels, and based on my view of the world, rather then letting the world tell me who I am, and who I need to be. Life is great in my world, presenting positive representations, through contributions of individuals of African descent.