Amber Pinkerton was born in Kingston, Jamaica, to a British-Guyanese father and Jamaican mother in 1997, relocating to London in 2016 to pursue film studies in Ealing. Her works, spanning from fashion photography to films, draw inspiration from the Caribbean's rich culture and societal reflections. She explores topics including colourism, classism, and fundamental rights in her homeland, deeply embedding her work within the politics of identity, emphasising Jamaica and its diaspora community.
Photographer and moving image artist, Amber Pinkerton was born in Kingston, Jamaica, to a British-Guyanese father and Jamaican mother in 1997. Growing up in a creative family, as a child she experimented with ceramics, performance art, painting and dance. By her 13th birthday, her inclination towards photography was evident, leading her parents to present her with a Nikon D3000 camera. Initially influenced by fashion magazines, she began by capturing images of her light-skinned and white friends, often improvising with fashion accessories. In 2016, aged 19, Pinkerton relocated to England to pursue film studies in Ealing, west London. While she was fascinated by the city's diverse subcultures, she also became aware of London's dark past rooted in Britain's colonial history. Her early works in the capital were mainly influenced by European and American viewpoints. Yet, as she progressed in her career, Pinkerton delved deeper into representing Black identity through her lens, gradually understanding that her artistic vision had been conditioned by these Western perspectives. A significant shift in her work was evident, for example, in her reduced use of white models.
Pinkerton's works, spanning from art to fashion photography to films, draw inspiration from the Caribbean's rich culture and societal reflections. They frequently highlight key topics such as racial justice, the judicial system, and fundamental rights in her homeland. Her work deeply embeds itself within the politics of identity, emphasising Jamaica and its diaspora community. She explores issues of colourism and classism in the Caribbean, while simultaneously celebrating its vast and varied communities. Many of her photos capture close-ups of people, revealing warm, heartfelt moments that echo the daily experiences of her homeland. Identifying herself as both a fashion and documentary photographer, her images not only portray elegance and imagination but also genuine, lived experiences. Interested in the tangible aspects of photography, Pinkerton has experimented with techniques including screen printing, polymer printing, and cyanotypes. Recently, she has also integrated materials such as glass, tiles, wood, ink, and paint into her work.
Pinkerton's talent was acknowledged in 2019 with commissions from Document Journal, Dazed, Nataal Media, and Interview Germany. For i-D, she partnered on projects featuring climate activist Daze Aghaji and the models from Saint International modelling agency in Kingston. Additionally, she teamed up with designers Browns and Priya Ahluwalia to photograph their special collection in a London pub.
In 2022, Pinkerton made her debut in two museum exhibitions: Female View: Female Fashion Photographers from Modernity to the Digital Age showcased at Kunsthalle St. Annen in Lübeck, Germany, and Museum Schloss Moyland, Germany. Additionally, her work was displayed in Black Venus at Fotografiska, New York, which later travelled in 2023 to The Museum of African Diaspora in San Francisco and Somerset House in London. Curated by Aindrea Emelife, a British art historian with Nigerian heritage, the exhibition presented portrayals of Black women by Black women, examining historical stereotypes and subsequently deconstructing them through the work of artists including Sonia Boyce, Zanele Muholi, Lorna Simpson, and Kara Walker, among others. In 2023 Pinkerton held her first solo exhibition at Alice Black Gallery, London, Self Dialogues: Hard Food, which marked the inaugural chapter of an ongoing series of immersive photographs and moving images that highlight Pinkerton's introspections. Themes explored included: feelings of solitude from migration, love and desire, family tensions, colonial influences, and cultural memory. The entire showcase served as ‘a self-confessional and diaristic artwork through which Pinkerton unravels various facets and emotions of her personal migration experience’ (exhibition catalogue, n.p.), particularly focussing on Pinkerton's personal journey from Jamaica to England. Featuring a six-part video installation as well as photographic pieces, in this collection of works Pinkerton ventured into viewing the photograph as a tangible entity, emphasising its potential as a sculptural medium. This exploration was enriched with authentic soundscapes and literary compositions. The central element was a film presenting original footage captured on 16mm and Super 8 film formats. Utilising the techniques of juxtaposition and montage, it provided a window into Pinkerton's inner monologues, drawing viewers into her intimate thoughts, recollections, and emotions. Pinkerton has also contributed to The New Black Vanguard, Saatchi Gallery, London (2022–23) and Bold Black British, Christie’s, London (2022).
Garnering an international reputation, in 2020 Pinkerton made The New York Times Style Magazine's list of '15 Creative Women for Our Time', the British Fashion Council's ‘New Wave: Creatives List’, Dazed 100 rankings and i-D's list of ‘Photographers to follow in 2020’. She also featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2022. Pinkerton completed her BA in photography at the University of Westminster in 2023. Her work is not currently represented in any UK public collections.
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Publications related to [Amber Pinkerton ] in the Ben Uri Library