Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Richard Johannisson - Mixed Media

“Untitled #18”
Richard Johannisson

Name:
Richard Johannisson
City/State:
Minneapolis, MN
Email:
rick_jo@live.com
MNartist.org profile:
 http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=242605
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000231662701

Tell me about your work? What are you currently working on? How is this different from past projects?











My work is an exploration of the fold between the structures of capitalism and artistic creation, along with an emphasis on identity within these structures. In my work I hope to capture the ambiguous nature of our capitalist/consumer culture and the contradictions it creates from the blurring of necessity and desire, and high and low culture, in combination with the paradoxical moral conflicts of our pluralistic society and how these elements affect the structures of identity.

In my current body of work I am continuing with a series where I alter appropriated fashion ads with black ink, leafing pens, lint, and a custom embossing seal. Although this is a continuation of my previous work, there is the new addition of covering the ads in the black ink. This creates a visual effect similar to film negatives or solarized images. Additionally I am also working on a music project and expanding into more time based works and digital medias. These are extensions of previous concepts in my 2D work. I will not get into more detail of the works in progress. Descriptions of things being developed somehow tends to inhibit my creative process. All I can say is just wait until they’re finished!

“VOID #3”

"What is Art?" is certainly too big of a question to ask here, but what do you hope your audience takes away from your art? What statement do you hope to make?









I hope the viewers are confronted with a sense of ambiguous un-knowing, which hopefully seeds a desire to dig deeper and come to a new understanding that might have been there all along. Everyone is going to have a different experience that is highly subjective. I want people to be able to engage in a dialogue and discussion with the work and with other people. Any “answer” I give is only limiting the work and


“Untitled #10”

What was the best advice given to you as an artist?








That I should expect to be poor.

Tell me about your working space and your creative process?









My working space is like a Rubix Cube of books, notes, materials, and projects that constantly get rearranged and reorganized. My space is very limited, so I am very amused with how I have utilized the space in order to create my work.

My creative process involves a lot of research and ideation and trial and error with an emphasis on error. I love all the beauty that comes from when things don’t turn out as planned. Of course its also very frustrating but without it how else are we supposed to grow ad learn?

Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?

I’m not sure how to answer this question. The friendly ones of course! I enjoy so many of the artists in our community. We live in a very close-knit community of artists and I find it very interesting that any kind of list of favorite artists could simultaneously be an implication of people I know while the reverse might not necessarily be the same:


“VOID #5” (after Robert Longo)

If I were to follow you around to see art in Minnesota, which places would we go? What would we see?
The Walker Art Center, The Soap Factory, Midway Contemporary Art, The Minneapolis Institute Of Arts, They Won’t Find Us Here, Franklin Art Works, Altered Aesthetics, SooVAC, and Rochester Art Center. This would be a very special and unique day!

Where do you go online for good art resources, whether to find a new artist, or to see what is going on in the art world locally and otherwise?
Mplsart.com and mnartists.org are really great online art resources. I am sad though that ARP magazine came to an end because that was also a great place to read about local art. I mostly hear about things through word of mouth though and email lists and occasionally through facebook.

If I want to find out about things happening outside of the state I usually take a look at Art Forum magazine or Art Papers.

“Unknown Known #2”

What can we expect to see from you in the future?
I have wonderful plans for multimedia interactive performance installations.

1 comment:

nancy said...

Richard, I would like to hear more of your comments on your works.