Ken Johnson

Continental Drift

22 October – 07 November 2008

• 

  Bodhisattva (Waiting) 2008, acrylic on linen, 120 x 140 cm

• 

  Zapateria 2006, acrylic on canvas, 115 x 115 cm

• 

  Floreria 2007, acrylic on canvas, 100 x 130 cm

• 

  Force of Light Antarctic Series 2008, acrylic on canvas, 90 x 80 cm

• 

  Isthmus Symposium II 2008, acrylic on canvas, 80 x 145 cm

• 

  Sea Pool Dream Allegory 2007, acrylic on canvas, 140 x 120 cm

• 

  Lido Delfino 2008, acrylic on canvas, 110 x 200 cm

• 

  Cinqque Minuto Passato Quattro 2008, acrylic on canvas, 105 x 240 cm

• 

  Olive Reti e Fuoco 2008, acrylic on canvas, 105 x 240 cm

About the Exhibition

Continental Drift celebrates 40 years of exhibiting by Ken Johnson. Over the past four decades Johnson has exhibited nationally and internationally in solo and group exhibitions in Australia, Hong Kong, China, Switzerland and the United States. During this period he has travelled to almost every continent of the world. In the 1970s he visited South East Asia, Indonesia, Japan and Mexico. During the 1980s and 1990s Johnson travelled extensively throughout Central America, Central Australia, Europe and the United States. In 2000 he visited Antarctica for the first time and he is planning a return visit in late 2008.

Most recently Johnson was invited to participate in the 1st International Painting Symposium at the National Museum of Syria, Damascus. He was the only Australian representative amongst 12 international artists. The symposium lasted three weeks and was widely televised throughout the Middle East. Ken Johnson’s many years of travel have significantly influenced his creative practice and imagery.

Continental Drift includes paintings and photographs inspired by Johnson’s travels through Australia, Antarctica, Italy, Spain, India and the Middle East.

‘Each time I travel, I find a place to settle and work for weeks or months if I can, sometimes in the heart of the countryside, other times in the bustle of the big city. Both have their appeal and provide a rich vein of experience for my art. The contrasts continue to challenge, and I find it valuable to alternate the new with the familiar. Venezuela or the West Indies provide excitement and a fascinating insight into the human condition, while at the other extreme the vast expanses of the Australian outback provide an opportunity to be utterly alone with one’s thoughts and the challenges of art and existence’. Ken Johnson.

Ken Johnson was born is Sydney, New South Wales in 1950. He studied at the National Art School, Sydney. He is a prolific landscape painter and sculptor who has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally. Johnson has been a finalist in several award exhibitions including the Wynne Prize, Art Gallery of NSW and the prestigious Archibald Prize. In 2007 he was recipient of the Regional Art Award in the Thursday Plantation Sculpture Show. Ken Johnson’s work is part of several high profile public, corporate and private collections in Australia, England, Japan, Israel, Syria and the United States.