Volunteer by Sarah Anne Johnson

Sarah Anne Johnson uses photography as a base for manipulation to fabricate an image that expresses not just a moment in time, but the feelings she has towards the subject. Adding materials such as paints, re-touching inks, glitter, as well as incorporating burning, scratching, and gouging, each photograph is a unique attempt to make visual what is felt by the artist about each work. Ms. Johnson has created six major bodies of work, all of which have been exhibited broadly.

Johnson was born in 1976 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She received her BFA from the University of Manitoba and completed her MFA at The Yale School of Art. Johnson’s work has been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions internationally. She is the recipient of numerous grants and awards and is included in several distinguished collections. Currently, she lives in Winnipeg. She is represented by Julie Saul Gallery in New York, Stephen Bulger in Toronto, and Division Gallery in Montreal.

This photograph is from Sarah Anne Johnson’s series, “The Galapagos Project”. In this series, Johnson continues her ongoing exploration of themes of idealism and nature, basing the project on ecological volunteer tourism. Like past projects, this one had Johnson embedding herself in the activities while documenting the experience. Older than many of her fellow volunteers, Johnson was able to capture a strong sense of both the real and manufactured romanticism of “voluntourism”, a travel option that has exploded in popularity since 2006, when this photograph was made.

Artist CV (PDF)
Artist Bio (PDF)

House Work - Border Crossing, 2018

WONDERLAND: SARAH ANNE JOHNSON @ CAM RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - Juxtapoz, 2015

Sarah in Wonderland: Sarah Anne Johnson - Border Crossing, 2011

Jerry Saltz’s Want-to-Sees - New York Magazine, 2009

Fall Guide: Sarah Anne Johnson Conjures a Mind-Control Centre - The Village Voice, 2009