RESURRECTION

John Johnson

Friday 26th August 2011 - Saturday 1st October 2011

CCAS Gorman MAINSpace

Resurrection represents both the ending and the beginning of an intensely personal journey for John Johnson. Creating these works has been a rebirth for the artist; after years of personal struggle he is confronting his past experiences through his artwork and looking forward to the future.

John Johnson is descended from the Warramunga and Wambya peoples of the Northern Territory but has been living and working in Canberra for the last 25 years. Primarily a painter, he has also worked as an installation artist, performer and art teacher.

His work is strongly political, addressing social issues such as the treatment of Indigenous Australians since colonial settlement, displacement of peoples, the Stolen Gen-eration, deaths in custody and the environment. Resurrection is a collection of works that explore these highly charged topics. The title reflects not only a personal resurrec-tion, but suggests the continued resurrection of these social issues which directly affect Indigenous people yet continue to be disregarded by white Australia. (Vanessa Wright, 2011)

Image: John Johnson, Homeland, 2010, Mixed media on canvas, 160cm x 130cm