Michael Johansson
(Sweden)
Michael Johansson is visual artist based in Malmö, Sweden, who deals with ordinary objects we all recognize, but in a way far from the ordinary. Driven by the agenda to densify the world, objects are morphed into precisely stacked rectangular shapes, connected to a certain place, where their original purpose are transformed into catalysts of new meanings.
Outdated items within the same colour range are reconstructed into a homogeneous image of a fictional life reinforced by our collective imaginary: the compressed scenery from a time gone by. Or the excessively well packed storage space where each object appears to be an immutable part of a solid whole. The newfound rigid order separates the objects from their usage, and invites us to a shared space where the familiar meets the unfamiliar.
Another current in Johansson's work deals with his aim to bring his collected objects a step in the wrong direction in the line of production. Fascinated by assembling objects from model kits as a child, Johansson transforms everyday objects into models of themselves. These life-size kits offer a novel commentary on today’s ways of living: displaying their function, while taking away their functionality.