Artist File
May 21, 2024
Discover The Multidisciplinary Artist That Made A Cameo In Anne Hathaway’s Latest Rom-Com
In our Artist File column, art advisor Diana Hamm of WK ART shares the artists that have caught her eye.
The Artist: Sarah Anne Johnson is a photo-based artist from Winnipeg who’s made the natural world her focus. Most recently, you might recognize her work from The Idea of You, an Amazon Prime movie starring Anne Hathaway. The main character owns a gallery and Sarah’s piece “Unclose Me” is featured in one — or more — of the scenes. While the Canadian landscape is a quintessential subject for Canadian artists, Sarah differentiates her practice by not just capturing a moment in time in a photograph, but further manipulating her photographs in ways that evoke deeper emotions. By incorporating materials such as paint, retouching inks and glitter as well as using techniques including burning, scratching and gouging, each photograph becomes tactile and unique.
The Works: Sarah’s impetus has always been to recreate a feeling from a specific perspective — it could be as a summer employee as seen in the Tree Planting series, as an advocate for climate change in the Arctic Circle series or, most recently, as a nature lover celebrating trees and their calming effect in the Woodland series. In all her works, Sarah explores ways that we can feel the subject matter rather than just see it.
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Explosion (2011).
Arctic Wonderland was the first series in which Sarah started manipulating the surface of photographs. Long frustrated by the discrepancy between the way she felt about images and how they physically looked, the artist was compelled to go further than the simple click-and-shoot nature of the camera. “I was concerned about the fate of the Arctic region, and my photographs were too far removed from my thoughts,” she says. “By manipulating the surface of the print — adding materials or removing parts of the emulsion — each photograph more closely resembled the images I had in my mind.”
In Explosion, the painted marks in the sky look at once celebratory, recalling fireworks, but also point to the destructive human behaviour of ignoring the consequences of our actions. It’s a powerful image that’s joyful yet concerning; one emotion doesn’t win out over the other.
Cartoon Sunset (2018).
In Rosy-fingered Dawn, a later series, Sarah incorporates craft supplies and holographic tape to amplify the kitschy aesthetic of sunsets and water scenes, mocking traditional ideas of high art. “Rosyfingered Dawn was a reflection on the precarious position of American national parks,” she says. “The images offered a dystopian view — in some ways, it was meant as a clarion call.” Cartoon Sunset, for instance, resembles a teenage girl’s dream aesthetic for a work of art. While the starting image, a sunset over a body of water, is undeniably beautiful, there’s something forced in the nostalgic quality of the final product. Again, Sarah successfully creates tension between high and low art — real and ideal. Viewing the piece evokes a reaction: whether it’s delight or something darker and more cynical depends on the viewer.
CTHMHY2 (2020).
Sarah started work on her Woodland series shortly before the pandemic, when she felt the need for something uplifting. Rather than focus on the traumas in the world, she looked to her native forests in Manitoba. She thought about how the land has been passed down through generations of Indigenous people, the ability of trees to communicate with each other, and how trees have influenced modern society. In CTHMHY2, painted triangles on the photograph resemble glass shards and heighten the dappled sunlight found in forests. It’s a delightfully playful way to convey a note of happiness that can be felt in situ but not translated through the photograph alone.
By physically connecting the image of the trees with the paint, Sarah is showing how trees in a forest are all connected to each other. “I have often used the forest as a safe harbour,” she says. “For years, I’ve gone camping when I need to recharge and get away from the pressures of the studio. I’ve read many of the fascinating opinions and articles about the complexities of forest life, and my work tries to visualize some of these phenomena.” Sarah began shooting the Woodland series in 2019 and she continues the series today, largely in the same forest. The landscape changes dramatically over a year; for the viewer, it’s a beautiful way to appreciate and witness the characteristics of each season.
MMRW V2 (2020).
In this world of everyone being an Instagram photographer and everyone being oversaturated with images, Sarah’s practice finds a place of its own. She takes beautiful photos but strives to go beyond photography to capture the spirit of a place, encouraging emotions that are stronger than a social media “like.”
Collecting: Sarah received her BFA from the University of Manitoba and her MFA from the Yale School of Art. Her graduate show was acquired immediately by the Guggenheim in NYC. Since then, she’s gone on to receive many awards and grants, and has exhibited extensively throughout Canada and internationally. Her work starts at $5,000 for editioned pieces.
Where to See It: Sarah Anne Johnson is represented in Toronto at the Stephen Bulger Gallery, in Montreal at Blouin Division and in New York at Yossi Milo Gallery.
Diana Hamm of WK ART is a Toronto art adviser. A graduate of Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London, U.K., Diana focuses on contemporary art and discovering emerging artists. She also advises private clients on acquisitions and collection-building. Find out more at wkart.ca.
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