“Jacobsen transforms
mass-consumed images into individual commentaries on fashion, gender and marketing.”

SHOWstudio

Jacobsen takes mass produced images, like magazines and adverts and gives them a unique makeover. She stitches, embroiders, cuts and collages to transform her subjects. A process that Jacobsen refers to as ‘hijacking’.
It is a bold and proud response to mass produced, commercial imagery and successfully readdresses the balance by injecting some individuality. With hand embroidery largely associated with conservative femininity, Jacobsen manages to restore some of the femininity that is sometimes lost in the graphical treatment of women in the public eye. She is also making something lasting out of something that could otherwise be classed as “fast fashion”.

About

Inge Jacobsen was born in Galway, Ireland. She attended Kingston University, London where she studied BA Fine Art Photography, graduating in 2011 and has since been working as a professional artist.

Jacobsen has exhibited in multiple shows around the world, from London, Paris, New York, Munich, Victoria and Gothenburg.
Most notably, in 2012 she was invited to exhibit alongside legendary YBA Sarah Lucas at Nick Knight’s SHOWstudio Shop as part of the ‘Selling Sex’ show and in 2018 she exhibited at the 250th Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition.

Jacobsen’s other achievements include winning the Director’s choice award at the final Cork Street Exhibition in 2013 and being featured on countless websites, blogs and in over 40 publications worldwide. These publications include mainstream art, design, fashion magazines and websites such as Vogue, Juxtapoz Magazine, Frankie Magazine and FAD.

In 2012 she was included in a list of the top 20 rising talents by a prominent Danish lifestyle magazine after she completed a major commission for renowned luxury brand Georg Jensen. Jacobsen was invited to re-energies their Spring/Summer 2012 campaign featuring Danish supermodel Freja Beha Erichsen.
Jacobsen’s embroidered images were subsequently used in every Georg Jensen store and concession stand worldwide and represented the brand for 6 months. In Sydney, Australia the campaign was launched in association with Vogue, who included her work in their June 2012 issue.

Recent commissions include WIRED Magazine, who approached Jacobsen for her unique signature style and to offer a fresh perspective on their iconic logo.

Jacobsen is now based in Galway Ireland where she continues to work as an artist.

Interview with the artist

Q How did you get started as an artist?

IJ I started right out of university, as I was completing my degree in Fine Art Photography. I had my first commission in progress as I was getting ready for my graduate show. I had been lucky enough to have one of my Vogue embroidered covers reach the team at Vogue, who did a short feature on my embroidery work online, just before my graduation show which really helped me get ‘out there’ pretty quickly.

Q What was it like getting picked up by Vogue?

IJ It felt like one of those moments in life that you know you’ll never forget. When I look back at that period and the following year or two after that, its all a bit of a blur. It felt exciting but also terrifying as I felt a bit lost and alone in how to handle it all. I tried to take every opportunity that came from it but I did feel completely unprepared and that I could have leveraged all those opportunities a bit better. I don’t regret any of it, I was young, naïve and fresh out of university – so I did the best I could.

Q What inspires your work?

IJ Inspiration comes from a number of areas – obviously fashion is a big one and so is embroidery from contemporary embroiderers. I know social media is a growing evil in our society today and I definitely think we need to take a step back from it, but I have discovered so many inspiring artist and embroiderers through Instagram. Jenny King, Hand & Lock and Cayce Zavaglia are some of my favourite embroiderers and then I love seeing the work of Sarah Maple- who is making some really interesting work on cultural and feminist issues.
I also take inspiration from the material I’m using. I often use glossy mags but I also use newspaper and there is something very interesting and satisfying in taking, what will essentially become trash, and adding detailed embroidery to it.

Q Do you have a running theme through your work? If so what is it?

IJ My work nearly always features women because for me connecting embroidery, largely seen as a woman’s craft – a ‘low’ art form - and the woman of today. A lot has changed in the past 200 years – heck, a lot has changed in the past 20 years! - but there is still a ways to go before we’re on equal footing with our male artist.

I’m not trying to claim embroidery nowadays as a female craft – I love seeing more and more male embroidery artists and the way the craft is becoming a lot more gender neutral – as it should be.

Now all we need is for the ‘art world’ to take craft and embroidery a bit more seriously.

Q How would you describe your work? Why do you work in embroidery?

IJ I would describe my work as Pop and is a modern take on the traditional craft of embroidery – particularly cross stitch. Using popular culture (fashion advertising is this case) and mundane mass produced items (newspaper) puts me firmly in that Pop Art category.

Q Many artists that deal with fashion and the fashion industry in their work tend to be critical, to make art in opposition to fashion. You seem to revel in its seductiveness. How would you characterize your relationship fashion?

IJ I wouldn’t say that my work was purely a celebration of fashion and the fashion industry. I think there are real issues in our society regarding the sexual objectification of women and girls and the pressure it puts on women to be a certain size and look a certain way. Sometimes it’s just a bit ridiculous.

The initial idea behind my practice was the photograph as an object – something to be looked at, rather than through. I stated linking the idea of the photographic object and women as photographed objects – things to be gazed and appreciated for their physical beauty but nothing else.

I do love fashion and beautiful images but my thread is attempting to bring the surface of these images to the forefront, so the view looks at it, rather than through it thereby acknowledging it as an object.

Q Tell us a bit about a commission you've done that you're particularly proud of

IJ I have worked with such amazing brands that it is hard to pick one as they have all been quite different.

I worked with the Danish brand Georg Jensen and re-energised their 2012 campaign. I created 4 relatively small piece for their display and 4 very large pieces for their windows. It was non-stop cross-stitching for 3 months.

I was lucky enough to have the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court Palace help me finish this project. This was incredibly exciting as I went to the palace and worked with them there. Working in the palace was definitely one of those moments I’d consider a highlight in my life

I’ve also created pieces for editorials in Vogue, bespoke pieces for American Express and an absolutely amazing commission for Le Bon Marchè where I worked with the ever-amazing Ezra Petronio and Petronio Associates.

Recently I completed a commission for WIRED magazine, which is something I’ve always wanted to do. They have such an iconic logo, so I was delighted to be asked to create my own interpretation for their Oct-Nov 2020 issue.

Exhibitions & Awards

Exhibitions

2018 Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition by The Royal Academy of Arts, 12th June-19th August 2018, LONDON, UK
2017 London Embroidery Exhibition by Hand & Lock, 12th -13th- July 2017, Bishopsgate Institute, LONDON, UK
2016 "Cut That Out" by DRME Studio, 6th -29th October 2016, KKoulet Hoxton Square, LONDON, UK
2015 DUVELLEROY X INGE JACOBSEN, 9th April 2015, A la boutique Duvelleroy, PARIS, FR
2014 Open submission for Source Display at Tate Britain - 1st August - 31st August, Tate Britain, LONDON, UK
2014 'Aie Magazine Issue 5: The Sweat Issue'- 5th July, Galerie Coeur, PARIS, FRANCE
2014 'Fixation' - 4th March - 13th April, The Town Hall Gallery, Hawthorn, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA
2013 Hunter and Gatti Exhibition - 19th November - 22nd November, Openhouse, Mulberry Street Space, Soho, NEW YORK CITY, USA
2013 'Cork Street Open Exhibition' - 9th August - 16th August, The Gallery in Cork Street Gallery, LONDON, UK
2013 'Inge Jacobsen' 11th May - 5th June 2013, UNIart gallery, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN
2013 'Paper Thin', 1st February - 2nd March 2013, Bearspace, LONDON, UK
2012 'Rocke Hosen Blusen', 21 September - 28 October 2012, MUNICH, GERMANY
2012 ‘The 3rd Annual Erotic Art Exhibition & Ladies, Ladies, Ladies’ 2 June – 2 July. Parlor Gallery, NEW JERSEY, USA
2012 ‘Selling Sex’, 22 March – 1 June, SHOWstudio Shop, LONDON, UK
2011 ‘Kingston Collective’ 5 July – 9 July, The AOP Gallery, LONDON, UK

Awards

2013 'Director's Purchase Award', Cork Street Open Exhibition, London, UK

Key Commissions

2020 WIRED Magazine UK, Logo embroidered for October - November 2020 issue.
2016 British Vogue, labels designed and created for January 2017 editorial commissioned by British Vogue.
2015 Duvelleroy x Inge Jacobsen, series of 3 fan designs and 1 bespoke fan to be sold through Duvelleroy, Paris, France.
2014 American Express Green, Gold and Platinum card cross-stitched commissioned by Alldayeveryday for American Express.
2011-2012 ‘Spring/Summer 2012’ commissioned by Georg Jensen
2011 Illustrations, commissioned by NYLON Japan
2011 ‘Mixed –tape’ commissioned by Neuland+ Herzer GmbH