Kysa Johnson

Kysa Johnson (b.1974, Evanston, Illinois) is a multi-media artist drawing from scientific sources and theories. Her drawings, paintings and installations explore patterns in nature that exist at the extremes of scale.  Using the shapes of subatomic decay patterns, the molecular structure of pollutants, images derived from electron micrography of bacteria and diseases– in short, microscopic or macroscopic “landscapes” – it depicts a physical reality that is invisible to the naked eye. Often these micro patterns are built up to form compositions that relate to them conceptually.  For instance, what look like lush still lifes and landscapes might actually be depictions of diseases and their cures, or molecular structures of environmental pollutants. In one series titled “Immaculate Conception / Asexual Reproduction”, Johnson recreates historic and iconic paintings of the Virgin Mary using drawings of asexually reproducing yeast. Johnson has also created a number of large scale site-specific installations which use microscopic patterns paired with art historical and historical references to address the history and politics of the place. 

 

Johnson recieved her BFA (hons) from the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland. Johnson has had solo exhibitions at The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art (Ridgefield, CT), The National Academy of Sciences (Washington, DC), Grace Farms (New Canaan, CT), Halsey McKay Gallery (East Hampton, NY), Morgan Lehman Gallery (New York, NY), Roebling Hall Gallery (New York, NY), and The Nicolaysen Museum (Casper, WY). Her work has been shown in a number of institutions including exhibitions at The 2nd Biennial of the Canary Islands, the Tang Museum (Saratoga Springs, NY), The Katonah Museum of Art (Katonah, NY), the Hudson River Museum (Yonkers, NY), DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum (Lincoln, MA), and Standpoint Gallery (London, UK). Johnson has created site-specific installations for KK Projects in New Orleans, LA (2008), Dublin Contemporary in Ireland (2011), and for the New York Armory Show, (2013). She is a 2003 NYFA fellow, 2009 Pollack Krasner Grant recipient. She lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.