
Kysa Johnson
Blow Up 298, 2016
Kysa Johnson's drawings, paintings, and installations explore patterns in nature that exist at …

In her own words, the work of multimedia artist Kysa Johnson “explores patterns in nature that exist at the extremes of scale,” or realities “invisible to the naked eye.” Johnson’s compositions are based on visualizations of the macro- and microscopic, though their sources are not immediately apparent. What look like lush still lifes and landscapes might actually be depictions of diseases and their cures, maps of the universe, or molecular structures. In one of her wittiest series, Johnson recreates historic and iconic paintings of the Virgin Mary using drawings of budding yeast, in an ongoing series she refers to as “Immaculate Conception / Asexual Reproduction”. Johnson has also created a number of site-specific installations depicting landscapes; in each case, the work’s composition is based on imagery from the area in which the site is located.

Kysa Johnson's drawings, paintings, and installations explore patterns in nature that exist at the extremes of scale. Using patterns such as subatomic decay, the molecular structure of diseases and their cures, or maps of the universe, Johnson depicts a physical reality that is invisible to the naked eye. These …

In her own words, the work of multimedia artist Kysa Johnson “explores patterns in nature that exist at the extremes of scale,” or realities “invisible to the naked eye.” Johnson’s compositions are based on visualizations of the macro- and microscopic, though their sources are not immediately apparent. What look like lush still lifes and landscapes might actually be depictions of diseases and their cures, maps of the universe, or molecular structures. In one of her wittiest series, Johnson recreates historic and iconic paintings of the Virgin Mary using drawings of budding yeast, in an ongoing series she refers to as “Immaculate Conception / Asexual Reproduction”. Johnson has also created a number of site-specific installations depicting landscapes; in each case, the work’s composition is based on imagery from the area in which the site is located.