Grant Johnson, Photographer
A fascination with land form dominates my work, specifically the evolution of form resulting from the interaction of natural and human forces with the landscape. The 2000 presidential election and the, subsequent, dot-com collapse of the stock market signaled a “new normal” in economics and politics, with an emphasis on disposable technology and energy production. This caused a distressing increase in extractive industry mining, drilling and logging and inspired the Welcome to the Future series.
For twenty years I was an assignment photographer/videographer for The Nature Conservancy covering California and areas of Hawaii. Over the years I have made repeat visits to many locations and have observed and photographed changes brought about by increased human activity and climate change.
As an artist, these alterations of my subject matter have dominated my attention. Many of the environmental problems we have created are solvable, but solutions are not happening fast enough. Change is critical if we want to survive in a world of living nature as opposed to a synthetic, algorithmically-mediated bubble. As a species we are at a crossroad where our failure to evolve an environmental consciousness will result in our decline and perhaps, eventual extinction.
I currently use reconnaissance image processing technology to interpret my terrestrial and high altitude aerial photographs as large prints. In New Landscape Work I utilize satellite image composites, to show the “big picture” effect of our competitive consumption. The wholesale loss of forest, now accelerating at a terrifying pace, prompted my Healing Environments show in 2017 which showcases the ability of forests to recover after catastrophic abuse, and highlights the folly of historic forest management practices.
My work also pays homage to the millions of years of evolved perfection found only in nature and includes series such as Landform, Waterlily, and Water Color, which I began early in my career and continue to expand.
Trained as a painter and photographer before becoming involved with new media, I received the first graduate degree in experimental video awarded by the Rhode Island School of Design in 1975.
Grant Johnson, Photographer
For more info: Turning a Blind Eye to Catastrophic Truths
REPRESENTATION
Amos Eno Gallery
56 Bogart Street
Brooklyn, NY 11206 718-237-3001
Strata Gallery
418 Cerrillos Road Suite 1-C
Santa Fe, NM 87501 (505) 780-5403
EXHIBITION HISTORY |
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| SOLO EXHIBITIONS | |
| 2023 | Undisclosed Locations, Strata Gallery, Santa Fe NM |
| 2022 | The Human Imprint & EXTRACTION videowork, Amos Eno Gallery, New York |
| 2017 | Healing Environments, Canessa Gallery, San Francisco, CA |
| 2013 | New Landscape Works & Beautiful Disasters, Canessa Gallery, San Francisco, CA |
| 2009 | Domesticated Landscapes, 50 Fremont Street, San Francisco, CA |
| 2008 | Welcome to the Future, Canessa Gallery, San Francisco, CA |
| 2006 | Marked Terrain, Canessa Gallery, San Francisco, CA |
| 2004 | The Other Side of the Valley, Canessa Gallery, San Francisco, CA |
| 2002 | No Man’s Land, Canessa Gallery, San Francisco, CA |
| 2001 | New Landscape works, Stimulus Gallery, San Francisco, CA |
| 1983 | Homage to Jackson Pollack, Stimulus Gallery, San Francisco, CA |
| 1980 | Electronic Paintings, Series 2, Stimulus Gallery, San Francisco, CA |
| 1979 | Touissett Series & Water Lilies, Stimulus Gallery, San Francisco, CA |
| SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS | |
| 2024 | Seeing is Believing, Amos Eno Gallery, Brooklyn NY |
| 2024 | Magic Hour, Amos Eno Gallery, Brooklyn NY |
| 2022 | Ensemble Winter Group Show, Amos Eno Gallery, Brooklyn NY |
| 2022 | Second Annual Group Exhibition, Strata Gallery, Santa Fe, NM |
| 2022 | Towards a New Animism, Amos Eno Gallery, Brooklyn NY |
| 2021 | Hyper / Reality, Amos Eno Gallery, Brooklyn NY |
| 2019 | Plus+One, Amos Eno Gallery, Brooklyn, NY |
| 2019 | Weather the Weather, a SciArt Initiative exhibition at the NY Hall of Science, Brooklyn, NY |
| 2011 | Hello Tomorrow, David Brower Center, Berkeley, CA review |
| 2010 | The Green Show, California Modern Gallery, San Francisco, CA |
| 2009 | Depth of Perception, Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, Novato, CA |
| 2008 | RISD Alumni Biennial, Oakland Art Gallery, Oakland, CA |
| One Night Stand,, Mina Dresden Gallery, San Francisco, CA | |
| 2004 | Off The Preserve, Di Rosa Preserve’s All in the Family, Napa, CA |
| 2004 | St. Supry Winery, Rutherford, CA |
| 2003 | VSA Arts of Utah Gallery, The Utah Environment, Salt lake City, UT |
| 2001 | SomARTS, San Francisco, CA |
| 1997 | Yosemite Renaissance, Yosemite National Park, CA |
| 1989 | New York Film Festival, New York, NY Mill Valley Film Festival, Mill Valley, CA New American Makers Video Festival, San Francisco, CA |
| 1986 | Mill Valley Film Festival, Mill Valley, CA |
| 1985 | SIGGRAPH Art Exhibit, San Francisco, CA (International touring exhibit) |
| 1984 | Cory Gallery, San Francisco, CA San Francisco Arts Festival, San Francisco, CA San Francisco International Video Festival, San Francisco, CA |
| 1983 | SIGGRAPH Art Exhibit, Atlanta, GA (International touring exhibit) |
| 1979 | Telluride Arts and Sciences, Telluride, CO. |
| 1976 | Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA Brown University, Providence, RI |
| 1975 | Woods-Geary Gallery, Providence, RI Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI |
| BIBLIOGRAPHY | |
| 2009 | The Nature Conservancy California, 50th Anniversary , by Jordon Peavey, Lisa Van Cleef & Susan Ives, TNC. org |
| 2008 | Sierra Summit , by Tom Knudson, Sacramento Bee |
| 2008 | Space Art , by Michael Carroll, Watson-Guptill Publications |
| 2004 | The Architectural Source Book, The Guild, Madison, WI |
| 1989 | California’s Leading Artists, California Art Review |
| 1985 | SIGGRAPH ’85 Art Show, Exhibition Catalog |
| ACM/SIGGRAPH Traveling Art show, Exhibition Catalog (Japanese edition) | |
| 1984 | KQED Art Notes, San Francisco, CA. Locally televised interview Art and the Computer by Melvin Pruitt, McGraw Hill Publication. |
| 1983 | SIGGRAPH ’83Art Show, Exhibition Catalog. |
| COMMISSIONS | |
| 2003 | Mary Jane & Alan Freeland, Private Collection, San Francisco, CA |
| 2001 | Scenic Wonders, Inc. Madison, WI. |
| 1999 | Patricia & Matthew Peterson, Private Collection, Madison, WI. |
| GRANTS AND AWARDS | |
| 1989 | New York Film Festival, New York, NY |
| 1982 | National Endowment for the Arts/AFI Grant |
| 1981 | Award of Excellence, Cable Car Awards, San Francisco, CA |
| COLLECTIONS | |
| 2009 | Kaiser Permanente, Vallejo, CA |
| 2007 | Memorial Hospital, Modesto, CA |
| 1991 | The Nature Conservancy, Northern California Regional Office, San Francisco CA |
| EDUCATION | |
| 1975 | Master of Fine Arts, Film/Video, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI |
| 1973-8 | Associate Artist, MacColl Studio for Electronic Music, Brown University, Providence,RI. |
| 1972 | Bachelor of Fine Arts, Painting/Photography University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ |