Do not go gentle into that goodnight

16 August –
15 September 2007
Do not go gentle into that good night
Helen Johnson

Do not go gentle into that good night

, 2007
Installation view, Sutton Gallery

The works I have been producing recently deal with the complex relationships between personal ideology and cultural growth within a capitalist society. They are situated in diverse settings, and are grounded in the actions of the individual.

One work depicts the recollections of a man who has a recurring dream that he is Neil Armstrong, it is 2001 but he is back on the moon, and he is trying to scuff out his footprints, but just keeps leaving more. The dream of the astronaut’s neurosis occupies most of the three meter high composition, looming over the dreamer like a heavy question about the natural limits of human existence, and whether they should be eschewed.

The scenes presented are constructed, synthesized from a diverse array of sources, rather than being drawn directly from reality. The scale shifts between works, some presenting life-sized human figures, some much smaller. Some elements drift between the representational and the abstract, creating a sense of reality becoming leavened, and also referring to the role of design in contemporary culture.

This body of work builds upon previous explorations, constructing tableaus of human activity which engage with the relationships between individual ideologies and the broader socio-political ideals which underpin a society. Some scenes function almost filmically, containing suggestive fragments of narrative and conversation. They serve as meditations on individual moments, and how they might play a role in the formation of cultural identities. – Helen Johnson, 2007.

‘Nature favours symmetries and slight anachronisms’*
Helen Johnson

‘Nature favours symmetries and slight anachronisms’*

, 2007
Acrylic and pencil on paper
171 x 60cm (approx)
*Jorge Luis Borges, from Ficciones
Open barbeque season (Triangular structure as social gathering point, part II)
Helen Johnson

Open barbeque season (Triangular structure as social gathering point, part II)

, 2007
Acrylic and pencil on paper
160 x 160cm
Modern Women
Helen Johnson

Modern Women

, 2007
Acrylic and pencil on paper
180 x 140cm
‘Our system of belief may seem strange now,’ she declared solemnly, ‘but in the future it will be considered quite normal’
Helen Johnson

‘Our system of belief may seem strange now,’ she declared solemnly, ‘but in the future it will be considered quite normal’

, 2007
Acrylic and pencil on paper
103 x 138cm
Summer of Resistance
Helen Johnson

Summer of Resistance

, 2007
Acrylic and pencil on paper
67 x 46cm (approx)
As people arrived at the vernissage, they found themselves drifting towards the triangles. No one was quite sure why, yet they felt compelled
Helen Johnson

As people arrived at the vernissage, they found themselves drifting towards the triangles. No one was quite sure why, yet they felt compelled

, 2007
Acrylic and pencil on paper
200 x 300cm
Krankenzeichnung (The future of medicine is its past)
Helen Johnson

Krankenzeichnung (The future of medicine is its past)

, 2007
Acrylic and pencil on paper
284 x 145cm
Embracing hopelessness becomes the most empowering thing to do
Helen Johnson

Embracing hopelessness becomes the most empowering thing to do

, 2007
Acrylic and pencil on paper
2 parts: 264 x 145cm and 56 x 120cm (approx)
It’s on days when the weather is bad that we like best to stay inside and think and make things
Helen Johnson

It’s on days when the weather is bad that we like best to stay inside and think and make things

, 2007
Acrylic and pencil on paper
233 x 115cm
How it is (slowly becoming changed)
Helen Johnson

How it is (slowly becoming changed)

, 2007
Acrylic and pencil on paper
82 x 62cm
Getting Mouthed
Helen Johnson

Getting Mouthed

, 2007
Digital collage, Pegasus print on photographic paper
25 x 35cm
Edition of 5
Kissers and Pokers I
Helen Johnson

Kissers and Pokers I

, 2007
Digital collage, Pegasus print on photographic paper
25 x 35cm
Edition of 5
Kissers and Pokers II
Helen Johnson

Kissers and Pokers II

, 2007
Digital collage, Pegasus print on photographic paper
35 x 25cm
Kissers and Pokers III
Helen Johnson

Kissers and Pokers III

, 2007
Digital collage, Pegasus print on photographic paper
35 x 25cm
Edition of 5
The Ambassador Returned
Helen Johnson

The Ambassador Returned

, 2007
Digital collage, Pegasus print on photographic paper
35 x 25cm
Edition of 5
The Cannibal Machine
Helen Johnson

The Cannibal Machine

, 2007
Digital collage, Pegasus print on photographic paper
35 x 25cm
Edition of 5
White Curls and Florid Arbiter
Helen Johnson

White Curls and Florid Arbiter

, 2007
Digital collage, Pegasus print on photographic paper
25 x 35cm
Edition of 5
Do not go gentle into that goodnight
Helen Johnson

Do not go gentle into that goodnight

, 2007
Installation view, Sutton Gallery
Do not go gentle into that goodnight
Helen Johnson

Do not go gentle into that goodnight

, 2007
Installation view, Sutton Gallery
Do not go gentle into that goodnight
Helen Johnson

Do not go gentle into that goodnight

, 2007
Installation view, Sutton Gallery

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