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CHRIS JOHANSON Arther and Darin and Harmony

CHRIS JOHANSON
Arther and Darin and Harmony
2016
Acrylic and household paint on found wood
48 by 96 by 2 in.  121.9 by 243.8 by 5.1 cm.

CHRIS JOHANSON Cents #7

CHRIS JOHANSON
Cents #7
2016/17
Acrylic and household paint on found wood
65 by 33 by 1 3/4 in.  165.1 by 83.8 by 4.4 cm.

CHRIS JOHANSON Cents #1

CHRIS JOHANSON
Cents #1
2016/17
Acrylic and household paint on found wood
62 1/4 by 44 by 3 1/4 in.

CHRIS JOHANSON [to be titled]

CHRIS JOHANSON
[to be titled]
2016/17
Acrylic and household paint on found wood
48 1/4 by 36 by 1 1/2 in.  122.6 by 91.4 by 3.8 cm.

CHRIS JOHANSON The Big Picture Escapes Me

CHRIS JOHANSON
The Big Picture Escapes Me
2015
Acrylic on found wood
64 by 84 by 2 3/4 in.  162.6 by 213.4 by 7 cm.
Photo: Adam Reich

CHRIS JOHANSON Circular painting #1 about infinity and square and circular energy 

CHRIS JOHANSON
Circular painting #1 about infinity and square and circular energy 
2016/17
Acrylic and household paint on found wood
133 3/4 in.  339.7 cm.
Photo: Adam Reich

Press Release

Mitchell-Innes & Nash presents Chris Johanson: Possibilities, an exhibition of new paintings and works on paper on view in an immersive installation at the gallery’s Chelsea space through May 13. Possibilities is Johanson’s second solo exhibition at Mitchell-Innes & Nash.

Johanson’s work engages with the meditative qualities of art-making and the sincere direct communication through painting and sculpture. He often refers to his painting as a form of “social documentary”, as the work captures common human issues like anger, anxiety, hope, fear, joy, and doubt, as well as the collective sense of wonder about our place in the universe. In Possibilities, Johanson reflects on the complex moral and political state of society today.

Text-based works figure heavily in the exhibition. Throughout the gallery are oddshaped pieces of found wood painted with a serially repeated ‘¢’ sign. Johanson has often been concerned with how society measures value, and the proliferation of ‘cents’ signs throughout the gallery space offers a poetic critique of the capitalist impulse to accumulate wealth. Of these works, Johanson offers the pointed remark: “I want to make cents. I just want to make sense.” Works on paper that read “possibility” are also tacked throughout the gallery, alongside paintings that exclaim “Oh, yes” or “Oh, no”. Despite the social and political critique inherent in much of the work, as the title of the show suggests, Johanson’s enduring message is optimistic.

Throughout the run of the exhibition, a pair of limited edition silkscreens will be available for sale, and all proceeds will be donated to ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and 350.org.