Johanna Karlsson

Born in Sweden 1968 | Lives and works in Stockholm.

Johanna Karlsson builds dioramas, hidden inside, which are startlingly detailed landscape ​​studies. The artist uses copper and silver wire, paper, old newspapers, egg cartons, textiles, pigments, and plaster. She solders, shapes and paints the works. The artworks demand time from the viewer, not only from the artist. The work process is slow and requires meticulous attention to detail. The viewing experience calls for the same dedication. Johanna Karlsson’s works inhabit the middle ground between sculpture and painting. The artist is not so much interested in colors, though, focusing more on the sculpture and letting the materials speak. Karlsson’s landscapes are not verdant, as grey, white and brown are the predominant colors. Karlsson creates precise glimpses of nature while also introducing elements with cultural context. The result is a landscape where personal interpretation blends with natural science. The artist does not highlight particular symbols or thematic tales in her natural studies, instead leaving them to the broader story of all birth and death. 

Johanna Karlsson graduated from the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm in 1997. Karlsson’s work is found in collections such as the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Sundsvall Museum in Sweden, and the Olbricht Collection in Germany.