Lecture Entry: Simen Johan

Norwegian photographer Simen Johan began working with digital technology at the time of its inception. In his early series "And Nothing Was to Be Trusted" Johan made digital composites of found images in black and white. The monochromatic palette helped mask the problems with the burgeoning technology. This series featured unsupervised children in precarious positions, and touched upon the themes of oppression, emergent sexuality, and masculine identity. His artwork evolved dramatically over the years, and his second series, "Evidence of Things Unseen" found the artist taking his own images and working with color. With this work, Johan focused on the relationship between childhood activities and ritual practices. In addition to making digital composites, he began staging scenes and creating all of the elements in camera. One particular image shows a naked young girl at the beach. Her sand covered body is crouching in the middle of a ring of cigarette butts, which she lays out as if for protection. In 2004, Johan began working on "Until the Kingdom Comes", a series of photographs depicting animals in various environments. Animals, both dead and alive, frequent these scenes, which are inspired by the compositions of famous paintings.
For as intriguing as some of his images were, I found Simen Johan very inarticulate about his work.I wanted to hear more about the conceptual thinking process behind the series, instead of just the digital manipulations. He jumped from one image to the next without really explaining his intent in the images; the audience could clearly see what elements were in the images already, but we needed more insight into his thought process. In prior lectures, the artists have been enthusiastic and eloquent about their ideas, willing to confide in the audience about influences and content.