creative visions with a political agenda: Jaggy Mone's photography and collage-work
I remember being instantly drawn to Jaggy Mone’s artwork, and immediately wanted to collaborate or meld minds while working on projects together. Her photography feels like breathing landscapes—their images feel vibrant and full of life, but are captured during a moment that could be missed with the blink of an eye. Browsing through them makes me feel like I am in her shoes, camera to my own face, absorbing the same moment in a similar state of mind—whether that be in a blur or through razor sharp focus.
As vibrant as her singular images are, soaking in her collages evokes a deeper resonance as they become chopped and reinterpreted, and I wanted to get a better perspective into her work. Read through our dialogue below, and be sure to browse her full catalogue available at the Boo Forever Collective!
BF: What sticks out to you most when you decide what to include in your digital collages?
JM: I look to create balance from contrast. Therefore I’m drawn to the organic shapes of natural landscapes and the structured lines of architecture, color vs. black and white, textured vs. smooth surfaces, loud vs. subtle. Because my recent work has taken on a more political agenda I also tend to focus on photographs that execute the message I’m trying to convey. Ultimately however, I want my art to be aesthetically pleasing, so if it fits the look i’m going for then it stays, if not, I throw it out.
BF: What was going on in your head when you were creating “Great Walls”?
JM: “Great Walls” was created after sitting through yet another torturous State of the Union address (“Resurrection” being the first) in the Trump Era. Again, I was left feeling completely depressed, frustrated and disturbed by the trajectory of where this country is going. Having to channel these negative emotions into something, I produced this piece, which symbolizes the wall that Trump hopes to build and a throwback to the “Great Wall” of China, both of which have and will be great failures. Walls don’t get us anywhere, they’re an obstacle, in this case, to peace and prosperity.
BF: What medium do you feel most drawn to and why?
JM: Being the perfectionist that I am, I always felt very much boxed in by my drawing and painting skills (or lack thereof). I rarely found that my art translated or lived up to my standards. After my grandmother passed away nearly 10 years ago I inherited a bunch of old magazines destined for the dumpster, from then on collage became my medium of choice. With endless materials to choose from I was finally capable of bringing to life a creative vision that had been stifled for too long. A few years later I began living nomadically and therefore lacked the space to continue creating in the same way, this is when I transitioned to digital collage. Years of traveling led to thousands of photographs which led to thousands of new materials. Because of this, I now, almost exclusively, use my own photography when it comes to collage.
BF: What kind of music influences your work?
JM: Gotan Project- “Live 2008”, has had a huge impact on my art over the past year. This album is incredibly political, describing an era of impunity and mass disappearances within Argentina under the Dictatorship of Videla, who rose to power in a coup d’etat backed by the CIA in 1976. I found the album to be relevant under the current political climate, and beyond that it’s beautiful and very inspiring. Gold Panda- “Good Luck and Do Your Best” struck a chord with me in Greece, it’s an album I refer back to regularly. Washed Out- “Mister Mellow” was the soundtrack to my life in 2017, couldn’t imagine a more relatable album. Weval has been and continues to be my most overplayed artist. Beyond that I currently find: Working for a Nuclear Free City, Paradis, JJUUJJUU, Holy Wave, Jerry Paper, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, The Helio Sequence, Gorillaz, BADBADNOTGOOD,Bonobo and Tommy Guerrero to be inspiring.
BF: What else influences your work—food, television, literature, etc?
Politics influence me greatly. For better or worse I spend a lot of the time reading and pondering about US foreign policy and international relations. I love listening to podcasts while working on more tedious art projects mainly: War College, Democracy Now, Intercepted, Presidents Inbox and BBC’s The Documentary. I obsessed over Russia the past year, not really sure why…it had nothing to do with the current scandal but more to do with a history and culture I felt I knew very little about. I found it all to be so incredibly fascinating that nearly all the pleasure reading and Netflix watching I did, involved Russian subject matter or language, therefore it’s played heavily into my recent art. “Secret Lives of the Tsars: Three Centuries of Autocracy”, “Crime and Punishment”, and “The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism” all influenced me over the past year.
Life experiences always inspire, specifically backpacking and canyoneering trips with my best friends in Utah’s pristine deserts and mountains. Having worked the California festival circuit for the past 3 years I’ve had the chance to meet radically creative people and see some pretty trippy shit. The monotony of trimming weed and slinging coffee has allowed me the time to think of future art projects and money to fund them. Lastly my move to the monstrosity that is Mexico City has been an endless source of inspiration.
BF: What would you like to say to or see for your future self?
For now I envision myself shifting into a more settled and routine lifestyle then the one I’ve been living for the past few years. I want to focus on art and transitioning out of the service industry. That being said, I still have quite a few countries and adventures to cover on thee ol bucket list. Taking the Trans-Siberian Railway from China to Russia being at the top along with completing the Pacific Crest Trail. Considering my “life plans” change almost weekly I really can’t say where I’ll be in the future and I’m ok with that…