Jacob Phillips

Black-and-white portrait of Jacob Phillips

Hometown: Dothan, Ala.
"Unicorn Magic" takes the viewer on a journey through an imaginary southern landscape from the perspective of a gay man. Sculptural forms resembling exaggerated cypress knees emerge from the floor and walls to suggest an underlying support structure and the potential for future growth. A sculptural mirror serves as a portal and encourages self-reflection and wonder. Those 3-dimensional forms, along with large mixed media prints and colorful lights, create an immersive environment inspired by queer culture and camp aesthetics. This fabricated landscape creates a celebratory atmosphere for the expression of queer identity in the midst of the conservative South.
Website: JacobMPhillips.com


Unicorn Magic

"Unicorn Magic," 2020
Mixed media
76 x 64 in.

2D mixed media piece hangs on a white gallery wall.  It has a simulated brown wooden texture with a central black and white painted area. The central location has gold and white oval dots that circulate like water from a fountain. Two white sculptural stalagmites sit on the floor by the wall piece.


Unicorn Magic (installation view)

"Unicorn Magic (installation view)," 2021
3D printed resin, porcelain, wool, wood
Variable sizes

Exhibition shot with a woman standing before a large mirror with a 3d silver frame having multiple protrusions of various sizes coming out from it. Other artworks in the background include white stalagmites and a large wall piece in mixed media.


Unicorn Magic (video still)

"Unicorn Magic (video still)," 2021
Mixed media
Variable sizes

Video still of the entrance to the exhibition, "Unicorn Magic." Green, red, and purple lights reflect on the wall with the exhibition's title. A three-foot white, glittering stalagmite is in the foreground, and two 2D mixed media pieces are on the left and right walls.