Eirik Johnson, 'Animal holes', one in series.
'Animal holes', Eirik Johnson's darkly subdued new series of photographs about to open at G. Gibson Gallery in Seattle, present voids that expand in the imagination of the beholder, in the melancholy of finding life's traces. Following three other acclaimed projects, all of which could be said to explore the relationship between nature, environment and perhaps on the idea of seeing as pilgrimage - 'Snow Star', 'Borderlands', which was named one of the Best Photo Books of 2005 by Photo Eye, and 'West Oakland Walk', part of which is featured in the winter issue of Aperture Magazine - Johnson's latest portfolio continues his interest in the overlooked mysterious landscape of contemporary life, this time narrowing in on hidden, often unnoticed sites of earthly activity. The series derives part of its strength from a rigorous, classic Ernst & Hilla Becher-style typological approach - by presenting the motif of the abandoned burrow in a direct and as close-cropped way as possible, Johnson allows the full differences, similarities, and significance of his subject to speak directly to the viewer, unencumbered by distracting elements. What is left is the stripped-down simplicity, variety, and adaptability of hiding places lurking amidst the ever-changing realms of property developers, a catalogue of survival, preservation and, ultimately, escape. 'Shards of glass and broken brick mix with peanut shells and winter-berries, as debris is unearthed or collected around the periphery of each black void', writes Johnson. The ambiguity of these images of (permanently or temporarily) abandoned 'homes' is all that remains.
All images copyright the artist, courtesy G. Gibson Gallery, Seattle.
Lupe Nunez-Fernandez
EIRIK JOHNSON, 'ANIMAL HOLES',
15 Feb - 24 Mar 2007 (artist's reception Thu 1 Mar, 6-8pm)
G. Gibson Gallery
300 South Washington St.
Seattle, WA 98104
T: +1 206 5874033
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