“Portraiture, done honestly, is never really about the subject.
It's about what the subject is made to carry.”
Now showingThe Ballroom Across 6th Avenue, Two Floors Up, 10:30 SharpSix oil portraits painted from life. BTA Gallery, online from 7 October 2026.
Institutions
All collaborationsDrawn live at the Clinton Global Initiative, commissioned by the United Nations, and shown over Times Square on New Year's Eve.
Selected works
All worksThe book
Book and writings
BLUE
(extended essay) ˈbluː
- A Gen Z perspective on facing the climate crisis, navigating queerness, and fighting depression through self-discovery, activism, and art.
Olympia Publishers, 2025
Signed copies are held by the studio.
The Ballroom Across 6th AvenueTwo Floors Up, 10:30 Sharp
WorksSix oils, three sketches
Scale36 × 40 in, each
PaintedFrom life, CGI, Sept 2025
WithBehind the Artist (BTA Gallery)
ShowingBTA Gallery, online, from 7 Oct 2026
“This is not about beauty. It is about the machinery of influence.”
Few artists have painted an American president from life. Gilbert Stuart painted George Washington; Elaine de Kooning sketched John F. Kennedy in Palm Beach. At 21, Elijah painted former President Bill Clinton the same way: in person, without a photograph, following him from the stage through meeting rooms at the Clinton Global Initiative's 20th anniversary summit over roughly twenty four hours.
Official portraits are usually made from photographs, in staged sittings, and approved before release. These were made from observation while the summit was under way, then completed in the studio: flat and pared back, built from a single blue and cut by vertical bands. Alongside the Clintons he painted philanthropist Tom Golisano, founder Elaine Welteroth, a server clearing the water glasses, shown under a pseudonym, and himself. Hung together, the president and the server are given equal space.
“Portraiture, done honestly, is never really about the subject. It's about what the subject is made to carry.”
The portraits
Studies from the room
Works
The work is made with and inside institutions: commissioned, installed or drawn live for the people it questions.
Collaborations and commissions
Archival film
Watch the film
Whose Future? OUR FUTURE
Starring Elijah McKenzie-Jackson. Directed by Leslie Lampe.
A documentary portrait made at fifteen, before the studio, when the work was still on the street.
Stills from the archive
Elijah McKenzie‑Jackson
Elijah McKenzie-Jackson is a British painter working between London and Washington, D.C. His work studies power as a performance: the rooms, symbols and spectacle that make an unstable system look settled.
Before the studio, there was the street. At fifteen he helped organise the UK youth climate strikes, and in September 2019 he led the walkout that brought more than 100,000 people onto England's streets. That year The New York Times named him one of eight global youth protest leaders. He went on hunger strike against the West Cumbria coal mine, delivered a petition of 111,475 signatures to government, and addressed Parliament and the House of Lords, the latter alongside Chief Raoni. The mine was stopped.
His early practice used collage, saturated acrylic and repurposed objects, pairing retro imagery with the blunt language of the protest sign. That led to commissions from the United Nations, the Captain Planet Foundation and Meta, and to There's No Place Like Home, a crystal encrusted sculptural megaphone that debuted over Times Square on New Year's Eve.
In 2024 he began drawing world leaders live at the Clinton Global Initiative. A year later he returned to paint them. The Ballroom Across 6th Avenue marks his turn to oil: six portraits made from life at the summit, each sitter at the same scale, in a strict two colour palette of stripes and partitions.
The question that took him into the street, who holds power and who pays for it, has stayed at the centre of the work. His artist book BLUE was published by Olympia Publishers in 2025.
Editions
A small number of signed works on paper and one studio object, released in limited runs. Original paintings are available by private enquiry only.
Elijah McKenzie‑Jackson
Curriculum vitae · London and Washington, D.C.Awards, honours and recognition
- 2026
- The People’s Artist, Nominee, presented by Johnny Depp
- 2026
- Attitude 101, The Future (Under 25), Attitude
- 2024
- Shorty Award, Best Cause Based Visual Campaign (Clinton Global Initiative)
- 2023
- Rising Star to Watch, iNews
- 2019
- "8 Global Youth Protest Leaders," The New York Times
Selected group exhibitions
- 2026
- Make Earth Day Every Day, Le Good Society outdoor art exhibition for Earth Month. Times Square, New York; Piccadilly Circus, London; Rotterdam. Curated by Tia Grazette, April to MayShowing Playroom (End of Day), with David Shrigley, Bambi and Lora Zombie.
- 2025
- Masters Showcase, Washington Studio School, Washington, D.C., November
- 2023
- There's No Place Like Home, Times Square digital exhibition, New York, presented with Artist Talk Magazine, December 2023 to January 2024Debuted on New Year's Eve over Times Square during the ball drop. A sculptural megaphone encrusted with 17,000 Swarovski crystals, functioning as an interactive archive of voice messages from displaced youth and queer refugees.
- 2023
- Youth and Culture Pavilion, COP28 (United Nations), Dubai, November to December; subsequently New York
- 2023
- Tabloids #3, Amplifier Art global open call, digital exhibition, June to August
Major commissions and projects
- 2025
- Presidential Portrait Series, Clinton Global Initiative, New YorkOil portraits of President Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Tom Golisano, Elaine Welteroth and Maria.
- 2025
- Have A Nice Day App, Kindness.orgOriginal physical artworks for a public kindness campaign.
- 2024
- Children of the Revolution, Captain Planet Foundation, "Vote 4 Climate," AtlantaAcrylic on paper reimagining of the 1990s hero, adapted into a limited edition benefiting the Foundation. Shown at the annual gala, where a companion painting was live auctioned.
- 2024
- Cover Series, United Nations and Net Zero World white paperCommissioned triptych printed on the cover of published UN research, presented at United Nations Headquarters, New York, September 2024.
- 2024
- FEMINIST Collective, digital visual essay
- 2020
- Art for Climate Action / Youth Climate Series, Meta Platforms and Instagram, 2020 to 2021Three mixed media works combining analog film photography with hand drawn illustration, published on Meta's global platforms.
- 2019
- How Would You Feel?, photographic series, GQ Turkey, Earth and Sustainability EditionSelf portrait series published as a double page spread at age fifteen.
Collections and institutional placements
- 2024
- Clinton Global Initiative Headquarters, New YorkLive pencil portraits of President Joe Biden, Prince Harry and Dr. Jane Goodall, held in the permanent collection.
- 2024
- Private collection, AustraliaCover Series triptych, commissioned for the United Nations white paper.
Publications as author
- 2025
- BLUE, artist book and extended essay, Olympia Publishers, July
- 2024
- "I'm an artist calling for change in the climate crisis fight," op-ed, Business Insider, September
- 2024
- Contributor, Activities for a Greener Mindset by Harry Waters
- 2023
- "5 reasons I think art can help stop the climate crisis," op-ed, Business Insider, November
- 2022
- Contributor, The Nature of Change
- 2021
- Contributor, A Bigger Picture by Vanessa Nakate
Selected bibliography
- 2025
- Patrick Duffy, "Rewriting the Language of Protest with Elijah McKenzie-Jackson," IRK Magazine, July
- 2025
- "Elijah McKenzie-Jackson Bridges Art and Activism with New Book," interview, Mission Magazine, July
- 2025
- Lee Down, "Debut Book 'BLUE' Redefines Artivism," Arts Artists Artwork, June
- 2025
- There's No Place Like Home sculpture debut and artist testimonial, video, Visual Vista Media, February
- 2024
- "A Voice of the Generation and the Meteoric Rise of an Art Prodigy," The Industry Times, January
- 2024
- Feature on There's No Place Like Home, The UK Reporter, January
- 2023
- Times Square debut coverage, Artist Talk Magazine, December
- 2023
- "Takes a Stand Against the Second Amendment in New Art Piece," Digital Journal
- 2023
- "'321 Ping' Is an Evocative Piece About US Gun Violence," Thred, March
- 2023
- "Artwork and its Impact on the Planet," Outlook India
- 2020
- Single page spread, Climate and Culture, Volume 3, Atmos
- 2019
- Double page spread, "Are We the Last Generation" issue, BRICKS Magazine
Lectures and addresses
- 2023
- Remarks, The White House, Washington, D.C. (Pride)
- 2023
- Speaker, The Children's Media Conference, Sheffield
- 2022
- Address, House of Lords, London, with Chief Raoni
- 2021
- Keynote, Youth, Ocean and Climate Summit, Surfers Against Sewage
- 2020
- Address to Members of Parliament on the West Cumbria coal mine, London
- 2020
- Address, European Parliament
- 2019
- Speaker, COP25, Madrid
Artist book · Olympia Publishers · July 2025
BLUE
An artist book and extended essay on climate grief, queerness, mental health and art as resistance, told through colour.
Enquire about signed copiesFrom BLUE
Over time, I’ve come to realize that artivism is more than just the fusion of art and activism—it’s a lifeline. It channels the unfiltered, often unbearable weight of existence into something that might bring clarity to the chaos. It’s like those nights spent screaming into a pillow, trying to drown out the silence that echoes back fears, or those fleeting moments spent smiling under the sun, clinging to memories destined to become nostalgic.
For me, art can mean the difference between surviving and succumbing—whether as the creator seeking to express or as the viewer searching for connection. It’s a desperate attempt to pour out my soul, to make visible the invisible battles and scars. Artivism isn’t just about what matters; it’s about what consumes me, what keeps me awake at night, what makes me feel utterly alone in a crowd.
The drive often stems from the deepest wounds, from personal hells and societal nightmares that blend into unending torment. The essence of artivism lies in its unfiltered authenticity. It’s about standing bare before the world, exposing the darkest corners of my mind, and hoping that in my vulnerability—sometimes dark, twisted, and pessimistic—others might see reflections of their own pain and find a whisper of solace.
Chapter Seven, Artivism
Book contributions
- 2024
Activities for a Greener MindsetBy Harry Waters - 2022
The Nature of ChangeEd. Imogen Hodgkins and Katie Riley - 2021
A Bigger PictureBy Vanessa Nakate
Op-eds, announcements and press
Press kit
Short biography
Elijah McKenzie-Jackson (b. 2003) is a British painter based between London and Washington, D.C. His work studies power as performance. He has been commissioned by the United Nations and the Captain Planet Foundation, shown over Times Square, and painted from life at the Clinton Global Initiative. His artist book BLUE was published in 2025.
- Name
- Elijah McKenzie-Jackson
- Born
- 2003, United Kingdom
- Based
- London and Washington, D.C.
- Medium
- Oil, acrylic, drawing, sculpture
- Current
- The Ballroom Across 6th Avenue, BTA Gallery
- Press
- info@emj.earth
Long biography
Elijah McKenzie-Jackson (b. 2003) is a British painter based between London and Washington, D.C. His work studies power as a performance: the rooms, symbols and spectacle that make an unstable system look settled.
He came to art through activism. At fifteen he helped organise the UK youth climate strikes, and in 2019 The New York Times named him one of eight global youth protest leaders. He went on hunger strike against the West Cumbria coal mine, which was later stopped.
His early work, in collage, acrylic and found objects, led to commissions from the United Nations, the Captain Planet Foundation and Meta, and to There's No Place Like Home, a crystal encrusted sculptural megaphone shown over Times Square on New Year's Eve. His live portraits of world leaders are held by the Clinton Global Initiative. His current series, The Ballroom Across 6th Avenue, marks his turn to oil. He is the author of BLUE (Olympia Publishers, 2025).
Press imagesFive images
Please credit © Elijah McKenzie-Jackson and the photographer where named. Exclusive imagery available on request.
Acquisitions, commissions and collaborations
For original works, editions, commissions, collaborations, exhibitions and appearances, write to the studio.
Studioinfo@emj.earth