Djakarta (artist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Djakarta
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Djakarta Jacobs
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| Occupation | Actress, artist, comedian |
Djakarta Jacobs, also known by just her first name, Djakarta, is an American artist, comedian, and actress. Many people know her from a special character she created called "Deena Jacobs." This character has appeared on many reality TV shows. These include Divorce Court, Lifechangers, RuPaul's Drag U, and H8R. Deena Jacobs also became famous for her videos on YouTube. These videos were even shared on popular websites like The Huffington Post and Perez Hilton.
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About Djakarta Jacobs
Growing Up and Learning
Djakarta was born on February 29, 1975. She grew up in Washington, D.C., in a neighborhood called Columbia Heights. Her father, Charles W. Jacobs, was a calligrapher, which means he was skilled in beautiful handwriting. He and Djakarta's mother, Averille E Jacobs, ran an art gallery from their home.
Djakarta's brother, Charles W. Jacobs Jr., is an architectural designer. He also teaches at The Catholic University of America. In May 2013, Djakarta married actor Erin Noyd.
When Djakarta was a child, she studied acting at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Later, she studied photography at Edith Cowan University in Australia. She then moved to the Corcoran College of Art and Design in D.C. She earned her degree in photography in 2004. Her final project was even chosen to be shown in a special art academy.
Her Journey as an Artist
In 2006, Djakarta worked at the National Archives gift shop. She was chosen to help introduce the new US $10 bill to the public. While working there, she stayed very involved in the art world in D.C.
As a visual artist, Djakarta was part of an arts collective called Sparkplug. She also helped organize art shows for the Washington Project for the Arts. She even received two grants to support her art from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.
Art and Exhibitions
In 2004, Djakarta's video art was shown in an exhibition called Artomatic. This show took place in an old museum building. In 2005, her multimedia art project was displayed at the Transformer Gallery in D.C. This project used an imaginary advertising campaign. It encouraged famous people from different backgrounds to celebrate their connection to the black community.
Her art show included pictures of celebrities like Vin Diesel and Mariah Carey. It also had a video with clips from different films. As part of this project, Djakarta also put up posters in the style of military recruitment ads. These posters said "WE WANT YOU" above images of the celebrities. The images were framed in the colors red, green, and black, which are important Pan-African colors.
In 2006, Djakarta's photo series was featured in an exhibit called Janus. In 2008, she was one of eleven artists in a show at the Arlington Arts Center. This show was called SHE'S SO ARTICULATE: Black Women Artists Reclaim the Narrative.
Acting and Productions
In 2008, Djakarta moved to Los Angeles to focus on acting. In 2009, she started her own production company called New American Divas. In 2010, she appeared in a play called Downtown Curren(t)cy: Lives Looking for Change. That same year, her company produced a play called I’m an Actor, They Don’t Get It. In 2011, she acted in two short plays for a festival. These plays were Social Science and I Dream of Emmett Till.
The Deena Jacobs Character
In 2010, Djakarta started appearing on reality television as Deena Jacobs. She created this character to be a strong, outspoken personality. The idea for Deena Jacobs was inspired by characters like Borat Sagdiyev, created by Sacha Baron Cohen.
Deena Jacobs became known for her strong opinions about pop culture figures. Djakarta would post videos of Deena's thoughts on her YouTube channel. Some of the people Deena Jacobs talked about included Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, and Rihanna. Deena Jacobs also appeared on various radio shows.
In 2011, Deena Jacobs was on the CW show H8R. She played a character who was a big critic of Kim Kardashian. This appearance made many people wonder if Deena Jacobs was a real person or a character. In the same year, Deena Jacobs was a guest on an episode of Dr. Drew’s Lifechangers. This episode talked about dating between people of different races.
After seeing the "Deena Jacobs" videos, the artist Tyler the Creator chose Djakarta for a role. She played a character named Tabbey Tarnetta on the Adult Swim sketch comedy show Loiter Squad.
