In a landmark moment, visual artist Amber Pinkerton will have the distinct honour of seeing six of her pieces added to the permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), London. The acquisition, supported by the Banwell Global Africa Fund, recognises Pinkerton’s distinctive voice in contemporary photography, particularly her significant contributions to discussions on feminist autotheory and postcolonial thought. The works will be accessible to the public through explore the collections and by request in the V&A prints and drawings study room.

Pinkerton, who was born in Jamaica in 1997, holds first class BA Hons, Photography from the University of Westminster and has exhibited internationally throughout the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Germany, and the United States. Currently living and working in the UK, her recent institutional exhibitions include Female View: Female Fashion Photographers from Modernity to the Digital Age at Kunsthalle St Annen, Lübeck & Museum Schloss Moyland, Germany and Black Venus which toured Fotografiska, New York, The Museum of African Diaspora, San Francisco, USA and Somerset House, London, UK.

In addition to her artistic practice, Pinkerton is the founder of the open-access library JA Editorial Archive (2023), which aims for wider circulation of fashion print material shot in Jamaica — as a contribution to Jamaica’s photographic developments.

In an exclusive interview with SO2 Pinkerton shared the following: “Pursuing this level of achievement in the field of photography has been a deeply rooted goal of mine since I was 13 years old, attending Ardenne High School. To see it all materialise and unfold is truly a dream come true.

I am completely honoured as a Jamaican, islander and Caribbean artist to have my works, in my early career, acquired by an institution whose collections span across centuries — comprised of pioneers and artists I deeply admire. Thank you to the V&A Museum for recognising my commitment to the medium of photography, as well as my themes of concern. It is deeply moving to have works from some of my primary series and from my first solo exhibition in the permanent archive — historical! Works that address the camera and embodiment, history, re contextualised narratives, experimentation, and the autobiographical. It is an extreme privilege to have my works alongside pioneers such as Ingrid Pollard, as there are few black female artists in the collection. I hope to see this expand further in the future.”