Simen Johan: Evidence of Things Unseen

NEW YORK CITY: Yossi Milo Gallery (formerly known as Gallery 24) is pleased to present "Evidence of Things Unseen," an exhibition of new color photographs by Simen Johan. The exhibition opens on Thursday, February 14 and closes on Saturday, April 6, with a reception for the artist on Saturday, February 16 from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Johan continues his ongoing series of surreal and narrative tableaux depicting unattended youth in curious situations. While popular imagery has traditionally portrayed children as naïve, Johan contradicts the ingenuousness of youth with issues of life, and the children in his images become surrogates for the vulnerabilities of humans in general. The artist thus explores the psychological effects that the outside world and personal environment have on individuals. Johan first addressed these themes in his black-and-white series "And Nothing Was to Be Trusted" (1995-1999) and in his color series "Room to Play" (2000).

The children depicted in "Evidence of Things Unseen" appear uncommonly imaginative and determined. At first, the children seem focused on ordinary play (e.g., playing games or dress-up, creating sculptures or drawings), but upon closer observation, their actions, which occur primarily at night and in solitude, appear purposeful, as if on a particular mission or quest. The images echo fundamental human impulses, including those that are artistic or religious.

Johan arranges and manipulates his images digitally using multiple negatives. The artist creates the fabricated scenarios in these images from source material ranging from candid snapshots to photographs that he takes on elaborately staged sets in the studio or on location. Work on a single image can last up to a month as Johan meticulously adds, subtracts, manipulates, and often re-photographs elements until he intuitively deems the work complete.

Simen Johan's work is in the permanent collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Denver Art Museum, Preus Fotomuseum (Norwegian Museum for Photography), and Museet for Fotokunst (Museum for Photographic Arts), Denmark. Johan's work has been extensively exhibited and published in the United States, Europe and New Zealand. The artist received a BFA in photography from the School of Visual Arts, NYC in 1995 and a film and video degree from Lugnetskolan, Sweden in 1992. Johan was born in Kirkenes, Norway in 1973, was reared in Sweden, and has resided in New York City since 1992.