The Fourth Estate

“The Fourth Estate” is a solo exhibition of drawings, paintings, sculptures, and animations by Jackson Casady. The work presents Casady’s satirical spirit and wit, while pointing a sharp stick at The Fourth Estate, a term referring to the press, journalists, and the news, as he continues to explore peculiar narratives within a media landscape.

Casady’s ink drawings are numerous, deconstructing a printed newspaper’s format and formal qualities while also introducing a television figure, the “news anchor.” He is rendered in the Artist’s trademark cartoonish style and is a stationary staple in the show. Casady’s broadcasters aren’t presenting anything readily understandable, and they don’t provide any real news or facts. Instead, they present stories that are abbreviated, absurd, surreal, and open ended, often asking more questions than providing answers.

Additionally, the animations further bring the drawings to life, their seamless looping format mimicking never-ending news cycles.

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Casady’s paintings in the show use fluid acrylic on canvas and a meticulous layering of paint washes and sprayed treatments to create fuzzy, pointillist scenes that simultaneously call to mind cave paintings and static on a TV screen.

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His sculptures portray the vulnerable, isolated “anchor” characters lost in their surroundings and screaming for attention.

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The layered satire of this particular exhibition utilizes humor to broadcast ideas around skepticism, truth, and accountability in journalism.