Liv Monique Johnson
Common in my imagery and concepts is an absence for which I have adopted the term ‘lacuna’, a word which defines a missing section. The lacuna manifests in my work as a gap which becomes a threshold for the known exterior and the unknown interior. This threshold can also be drawn between signs of activity, such as smoke or light, and their unknown sources. These ideas have been informed by Albert Camus' writings on the paradox he termed the Absurd: a conflict of the human compulsion to find meaning in life and the impossibility of finding it with certainty. I believe the search itself - the constant questioning and exploration – can provide purpose. Throughout my imagery the depictions of chasms and unseen interiors represent this anticipation in the face of uncertainty. My research into the lacuna leads me to embrace the unknown, exploring aspects of the uncanny as well as the border of perception between expectation and the unpredictable.
Images from Left to Right
Afterimage, screenprint on hand-dyed paper, 2019
Waiting, Waiting, hardground etching, aquatint, monotype, 2019
Preternatural, softground etching, aquatint, chine colle, 2020
A Confrontation With A Densely Empty Space,
screenprint, audio, LEDs, vinyl, hand-cut and laser-cut paper, welded iron, canvas, wood, extension cord, 2018
The Spirit Level, softground etching, aquatint, monotype, chine colle, 2019
The Visitant, softground etching, aquatint, chine colle, hand-coloring, 2019