We are proud to present "Scars and Stripes", New York based painter Aaron Johnson’s first solo show at Gallery Poulsen, Copenhagen.

Johnson’s painted universe overflows with demonic Americana and sexual violence, all rendered in exuberant, colorful, explosive, highly detailed paintings.
The narratives in these works are twisted with psychotic tales of a world gone berzerk, comic-grotesque musings on the absurdity of war and religion, and a gooey biomorphic dialogue with the Old Masters.
Central to the exhibition is Johnson’s monster-sized work Star-Crossed, which depicts Jesus and the Statue of Liberty engaged in a torrid love scene, a grotesque allegory critiquing the marriage of church and state, and painted on a real American flag. In such a work Johnson criticizes the USA, while simultaneously celebrating the American spirit of freedom of expression.
In other works in Scars and Stripes the viewer will confront portraits of God as the big monster in the sky. In certain pieces Johnson reinterprets art historical pieces (we are pleased to feature in this show a very creepy Mona Lisa) , thereby making links between our contemporary world and ages past, engaging the timeless themes of eroticism and lust, life and death, creation and destruction.

Johnson’s works have received the accolades of many renowned critics; Roberta Smith of the New York Times described “works that are visceral, beautiful and flamboyantly timely, which is saying a lot”. R.C. Baker of the Village Voice wrote "The horror vacui sensation is akin to Bosch's overpopulated Hell in Johnson's lovely abominations".

His works have been exhibited internationally in Stux Gallery, New York; Marlborough Gallery, New York; Leo Koenig Projekte, New York; Gallery Brandstrup, Oslo; Gallery MiTO, Barcelona; etc. His works are in the public collections including the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

See previous reviews here: http://aaronjohnsonart.com/news.html 

 

Dansk pressemeddelelse:
 

 Aaron Johnson prikker hul i USA!!

Gå hjem og læg dig, Francis Bacon! Amerikanske Aaron Johnson er vor tids horrormaler. Johnsons emne er USA, hans eget hjemland, verdens hidtil mest toneangivende nation, hvis magt lige nu synes at smuldre.

”Scars and Stribes” er titlen på udstillingen, som tegner et kritisk, men kærligt portræt af Guds eget land, der for hver dag bliver mere og mere arret.

Aaron Johnsons univers er fuld af dæmonisk americana og seksuel vold, alt sammen i et eksplosivt, figurativt formsprog. Historierne i hans værker er twistede, psykotiske klip fra en verden, der er gået bersærk i krigens og religionens absurditet.
Centralt i udstillingen står Johnsons monsterstørrelse-maleri ”Star-crossed”, der forestiller Kristus og Frihedsgudinden i en vild seksuel kærlighedsakt. Dette værk, der er malet på et ægte amerikansk flag, er en grotesk allegori over og harsk kritik af ægteskabet mellem stat og kirke. Udstillingen præsenterer mange andre værker, bl.a. ser vi Gud som et stort uhyre i himlen og en skræmmende udgave af Mona Lisa.

Aaron Johnsons værker er af New York Times’ kritiker, Roberta Smith, blevet kaldt “visceral, beautiful and flamboyantly timely”. Hans billeder er hidtil blevet udstillet i bl.a. Stux Gallery, New York, Marlborough Gallery, New York, Leo Koenig Projekte, New York, Gallery Brandstrup, Oslo; Gallery MiTO, Barcelona. Han er repræsenteret på Museum of Modern Art, New York.

”Scars and Stribes” åbner fredag den 29. oktober i Gallery Poulsen i Kødbyen.
Det er Aaron Johnson´s første soloudstilling i Gallery Poulsen og Aaron Johnson er i København og stiller gerne op til interview.

Se anmeldelsen New York Times, samt flere anmeldelser her: http://aaronjohnsonart.com/news.html 

  Information

”Starcrossed”
Acrylic polymer and pigment on polyester flag
260 x 350 cm, 2008




”Venus at the Mirror”
Acrylic on polyester knit mesh
127 x 195 cm, 2010

”She Came from the Sea, He Came from the Grave”
Acrylic on polyester knit mesh
100 x 80 cm, 2010




“69 Reasons I Love America”
Acrylic on polyester knit mesh 
100 x 80 cm, 2010




”The Head Honcho”
 Acrylic on polyester knit mesh,
100 x 80 cm, 2010




“Gone Fishin”
Acrylic on polyester knit mesh,
71 x 56 cm, 2010




“Mona Lisa”
Acrylic on polyester knit mesh,
71 x 56 cm, 2010