Nicholas Johnson
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The Day of the Triffids
The Day of the Triffids is a post apocalyptic english science fiction novel by John wyndham published in 1951. it tells the story of a plague of blindness which befalls humanity allowing the rise of an aggressive, mobile and intelligent species of plants of mysterious origin.
A Punk Smelling Flowers at the End of His Life: Simple Pleasures, Lesser Pleasures, Base Pleasures – (Acrylic on paper and canvas, collage, Gaffa tape, string, scraps. 140 x 209 cm)
Installation View of A Punk Smelling Flowers at the End of His Life: Simple Pleasures, Lesser Pleasures, Base Pleasures – (Acrylic on paper and canvas, collage, Gaffa tape, string, scraps. 140 x 209 cm)
‘ … Dripped + Glittered … ‘ (Acrylic on paper, 55 x 75 cm)
Mildew Swoosh – (Acrylic, String, Floor Sweepings on Board, 110 x 200cm)
BloodBitch: Waxing/Waning II – (Acrylic and floor sweepings on panel, 200 x 150 cm)
Oak Trees Lullingstone Park _ Quaint Crinkle Crankle Goth
(2012 – Ongoing)
In the 1820s Samuel Palmer lived in self-imposed rural exile in the town of Shoreham, Kent. Palmer would walk for an entire day to reach Shoreham from the Old Kent Road in south London. Palmer was an autodidact and his weird, visionary, borderline psychedelic images from this period were at odds with aesthetic sensibilities of the time. A series of large watercolour and ink drawings from this period depict the ancient oak trees of Lullingstone Park in Shoreham. Some of these trees still stand today, and one in particular bears a striking resemblance to a tree from Palmer’s suite of drawings. Since the summer of 2012 I have been making frequent trips to the park (a forty minute train ride from southeast London) and filming these trees (one in particular). The films are all made on Super 8mm, old technologies seem to suit.
With this project I am attempting to align myself with an art-historical precedent and working to illustrate how modes of perception shift over time and I propose to eventually screen my films alongside the Palmer’s original paintings.
The project takes its title from one of Palmer’s letters.
b. 1982 Honolulu, HI
Education
MA Painting, Royal College of Art, London, 2012-14.
BA Philosophy, University of Kingʼs College, Halifax, Nova Scotia 2005.
Selected Exhibition History
The Catlin Prize, London Art Fair, 2015
A Crazed Flowering, Frameless Gallery, London, 2014.
Art in Romney Marsh Visual Arts Festival, Romney Marsh, Kent, 2014.
Degree Show, RCA, 2014.
Re:Flux Festival, with Tim Crabtree, Salle Sans Sous, Moncton, NB, 2014.
Painting Nov., RCA, London, 2013.
Scratch It’s Easy, 69 Camden High St, London 2013.
RCA Secrets, London, 2013.
The Violet Hour, 37 Albermarle Street, London, 2013.
Lynn-Painter Stainers Prize. Mall Galleries, London, 2013.
Work In Progress Show, RCA, London, 2013.
Near that place…, Hockney Gallery, Jay Mews, London, 2013.
On Spiritualism. Apiary Studios, London, 2012.
Frozen Events. Flat Time House, London, 2011.
Prizes, Grants, Residencies & Collections
Nominated: The Catlin Prize 2015
Exhibited: Saatchi New Sensations, 2014
Vermont Studio Center Residency & Artist Grant, 2011.
Florence Trust Studio Residency, London, 2011-12.
Creation Grant: Province of Nova Scotia Grants to Individuals, 2009.
Bibliography
“A Crazed Flowering.” Dazed Digital. 8 Jan 2015. LINK
Hammond, J. The Catlin Guide 2015.
“A Crazed Flowering.” Time Out 6-12 Jan 2015. P. 43. Print.
Wulsclhager, J. “A Crazed Flowering.” Financial Times Visual Arts. 3 Jan 2015. Print.
Artist to Watch: Nicholas Johnson. Harper’s Bazaar. 28 Oct 2014. LINK
“Nicholas Johnson.” Young Space. 14 Aug. 2014. LINK
Featured: Best of 2014. Saatchi Art. LINK
Ones to Watch: The Art Scene Ahead, 13 Rising Art Stars. Goop. Issue 19, 3 July 2014. LINK
The Classroom: Nicholas Johnson. Hunger Magazine. 23 May 2013. LINK