Archive 2010-11
Paul Johnson
- Venue: Fine Art Lecture Theatre
- Start: Wed, 18 May 2011 11:00:00 BST
- End: Wed, 18 May 2011 13:00:00 BST
Through variously sourced images, Paul Johnson creates portraits and symbols that stimulate imaginary associations, each devotionally handcrafted from intricate fragments of hand-coloured paper to leave a surface that resembles the clarity and intensity of an illuminated manuscript, evocative yet solitary and self-contained.
The Family is a central theme to Johnson’s work. This is not a family in the traditional sense, but the idea of constructing an imagined community. Each member is slowly handcrafted to expand this group of people. Recently the artist has started to imagine what these people might make themselves, objects, such as parade banners and imagined musical instruments have been made to explore ideas around belief systems, rituals and shared ideologies.
Paul Johnson (b.1972) lives and works in London having studied at the Royal Academy schools and Glasgow School of Art. Recent exhibitions include ‘Ascension into Unselfishness’, Ancient and Modern, London, ‘Sensitive Chaos’, Mizuma Gallery, Tokyo (solos). ‘Newspeak’ – British Art Now, Saatchi Gallery, London, ‘BigMinis’ - fetishes of crisis CAPC musée d'art contemporain, Bordeaux, ‘Brotherhoods of Subterreria’, KunstBunker, Numberg, Germany. Johnson will also be presenting a solo exhibition in ‘Frame’, Frieze Art Fair, this October 2011.