Nature is temperamental. Artist Matthew Graeme Johnson knows this. And it's a fact that informs his practice. His latest virtual exhibition at Jerico Contemporary gives us new insight into his the process behind his works, created in collaboration with the ocean.
Those instinctive lines of his signature pieces are not paintings but photographs, captured at long exposure through a hand-held camera.
His works begin with sunlight reflecting off the ocean at sunrise and sunset. If you think that sounds lush, you'd be right.
Matthew Graeme Johnson Equus, 2020.
Johnson's new virtual exhibition, Unseen Realities at Jerico Contemporary, takes it a step further - seizing the opportunity for a digitally immersive experience in a time when nature's zen is just what we need. Within the online viewing room you'll find an introduction to Johnson's craft and a playlist to get you in the mood. Also, footage of his creative process featuring the rolling ocean and our favourite kind of ASMR.
When we interviewed the artist last year, Johnson told us he hoped his works would help awaken viewers' minds to our connection with nature. "... The similarities in human made markings and those which nature creates. The consideration that there is no separation between where nature ends and man begins. We are one and the same. Perhaps a reminder to look after ourselves, each other and this planet we inhabit."
Matthew Graeme Johnson, ‘Meditations’, 2020.
True to the title of Johnson's latest exhibition, the works evolved from a desire to make nature's unseen images visible through the photographic medium. Like the light on the ocean, Johnson's spontaneous movements simply add to the poetry. "Sun, sea and artist all exist on a continuum," says Johnson.
"Despite my attempts to achieve a certain result, the result ultimately gives way to chance."
The Unseen Realities viewing room is open until June 6 at Jerico Contemporary - one of a series of galleries embracing new mediums to change the way we see art. We recommend stopping by on your lunch break to take in those ocean emotions.
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