Sarah Anne Johnson, renowned Winnipeg photographer and artist, spent the better part of the summer of 2012 in the back of ACRYL DESIGN LTD creating her venture for her Winnipeg Now – 100 Years of the Winnipeg Art Gallery project. We were pleased to support her with studio space and plastic manipulation expertise.
Sarah Anne Johnson received her BFA from the University of Manitoba in 2002, and completed her MFA at The Yale School of Art in 2004. Sarah’s work has been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions internationally including, ‘Guggenheim Collection: 1940s to Now’ at The National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia (2007); The Montreal Biennial (2006); ‘Imprints’ at the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography and ‘J’en Reve’, Foundation Cartier, Paris, France (2005).
Changing the landscape forever
Perhaps the most dramatic installation in the exhibit is this one by Sarah Anne Johnson. Using garbage- old bottles, plastic cups, light bulbs and other debris she has created a fantastic fireworks display that dazzles the viewer. It is placed over a model ship with people on board enjoying life. They are drinking, falling in love, chatting and dancing. They seem oblivious to the fact that pollution is changing the landscape forever.
Three-dimensional fireworks display
The wall behind the ship and fireworks contains a long mural-like photograph of the Arctic, part of a series of images created by Johnson in 2010 in the Arctic. I heard an interview with Sarah Johnson at the art gallery where she talked about the challenges of creating such a large work and installing it. She even took a plastics course to help her learn how to create her three-dimensional fireworks display.