The Space Between Two Rocks

ROY presents: Jonathan Johnson

Fri, Sep 11, 2020 - 6:00 PM
Sat, Oct 3, 2020 - 2:00 PM

As a mixed-race artist, I use the act of walking as a way of situating and exploring the physical spaces that exist in both of my homes in Southeast Asia and the Midwestern United States. This method is a critique of productivism and meditates on how geography applies to fragmented space, identity and the construction of meaning. 

This project is a poetic narrative featuring color photographic images made during, and in relationship to, the act of walking through urban and rural landscapes. In contrast to some contemporary uses of photography associated with digital culture, social media and self-documentation; this project embraces slowness through its production (walking, using color film) and dissemination through the book or sequential form--one of our final refuges for experiencing photographs in a personal, slow and physically interactive way.

Artwork that is for sale is priced upon request. Artists receive 65% of sales and the 35% ROY retains is invested back into the gallery. 

ROY ASKS

name & preferred pronouns

Jonathan Johnson (he)

how has art impacted you?  

Art is a language that has given me access to new narratives, forms and ways of seeing.  Art ensures that I'm awake to sounds and sights of everyday life and politics.  Art reminds me that there's always a way forward.

how are you staying creative in these extraordinary times?

I've rediscovered Dungeons & Dragons and my old baseball card collection.  This made me realize that part of my imaginative brain had been dormant for 15 years.

what do you hope the viewer takes away from seeing your work?

I hope the viewer feels my appreciation for the time they spent walking with me from Thailand (with a rest in rainy Sweden) to Westerville, Ohio.  I also hope it's a relaxing experience that encourages them to reflect on their own ways of seeing and exploring.

Playlist:

-any classic-era jazz (Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, Ornette Coleman, Sonny Rollins, etc.)

-A Tribe Called Quest.

Walk through the show with Jonathan on Youtube