Sarah Anne Johnson (Canadian, b. 1976)
GGITWL, 2024
Pigment Print with Oil Paint and Gold Leaf
Image: 40" x 59 3/4" (101.5 x 151.5 cm)
Unique
(SAJ.24290)
GGITWL, 2024
Pigment Print with Oil Paint and Gold Leaf
Image: 40" x 59 3/4" (101.5 x 151.5 cm)
Unique
(SAJ.24290)
As human beings, we are in communion with nature. Through our perception, we are quietly conversing with the natural world anytime we hear a bird, see a tree branch rustle, take a sip of water, or crack an egg. As fast-paced metropolitan lifestyles increase the divide between us and our natural roots, finding ways to maintain a healthy and balanced relationship with nature is more important than ever. Humans can achieve a deeper understanding of this bond through art: we explore our unique relationship with nature as we paint upon this ancient canvas with our thoughts, dreams, and flights of fancy. The artists presented by the Yossi Milo Gallery at the 2024 Dallas Art Fair embody this complex and colorful dynamic between human beings and nature that nurtures, sustains, and inspires us.
Nature may be perfect, but by altering, distorting, or reshaping natural imagery, we allow others to witness our imaginative relationship. with our surroundings. In her Woodlands series, Canadian artist Sarah Anne Johnson transforms the verdant and snow-covered landscapes of her native Manitoba into an iridescent fantasy. Overlaying the photographs with oil paint and gold leaf accents, she builds upon natural perfection with a whimsical, otherworldy flair that recalls the psychedelic play-pretend of Alice in Wonderland. In GTH, 2024, Johnson places the painted gold leaf in the naturally forming triangular spaces between the snow-dusted branches. The effect recalls the stained-glass windows of grand European cathedrals, light brilliantly refracted through many panes of colored glass; this forest is also a place of worship—honoring the majesty of nature and the unending flow of the seasons that define our lives.
Some elements of nature seem—at least by our finite human standards—eternal; one only needs to imagine the ancient redwood trees reaching toward the heavens above California. However, there is equal beauty in the impermanence of things, as exemplified by and celebrated through the Japanese art of wabi-sabi. Building off this philosophy, German artist Kathrin Linkersdorff sees flora’s powerful yet physically minute intricacies. She utilizes scientific processes to capture these complex yet delicate structures in near-microscopic detail, bathing these little natural splendors in sumptuous burgundy, lavender, and amber shades. Aptly titled Fairies, Linkersdorff’s flower petals’ elegant delicacy resembles the tulle skirts adorning dancers in Tchiakovsky’s fanciful ballets.
Water is one of the vital elements of nature—and the most essential to sustaining life. It covers over seventy percent of our planet’s surface; the deep blue depths have mesmerized and terrified humans since the dawn of our species. Its uses are boundless: nourishment, travel, plant growth, and sport. American artist Meghann Riepenhoff channels the beguiling nature of this essential resource. Like Linkersdroff and Johnson, Riepenhoff employs nature as her artistic collaborator: she exposes the light-reactive cyanotype-treated paper to natural water sources, allowing the water to trace, shade, and line the paper with its hidden textures. The triptych, Ice #310 (23-42°F, Schel Chelb, WA 2.22-25.22), 2022, is a stunning example of this chemical feat; the glacial blue and white hues are crisply detailed and contrasting, suggesting unseen depths never before seen by the human eye.
With their featured artists at this year’s Dallas Art Fair, Yossi Milo Gallery treats viewers to a natural splendor of operatic proportions. From delicate flower petals to rainbow-hued tree branches, the gallery invites us to witness art—and commune with nature—in dazzling new ways.
