1st Nov – 21st December 2019
Come explore obscure and familiar collections from other lands. The artist takes you on a road trip through America, and shows you collections objects from Japan, Norway, Iceland, Australia and more. You can take part by divulging a dream story that could be performed on the night, or by surrendering an unwanted gift in her Re-Gift Amnesty.
Johanna Leech (b.1985, Belfast, Northern Ireland), graduated from the University of Ulster in 2007, with a BA Hons in Fine and Applied Art.
In addition to her own practice, Leech often works collaboratively with artists such as Sinéad Bhreathnach-Cashell (UK) and Matthew Slaats (USA).
Artist residencies include: Cultural Centre Vanha Paukku, Lapua, Finland; The Association of Icelandic Visual Artists, SÍM (Iceland); Tyrone Guthrie (Ireland); Digital Arts Studios (Northern Ireland). Three residencies in USA – The Bridge PAI (VA) , CHRCH Project Space (NY) and ARCH Development (WDC).
She has exhibited in Australia, Finland, USA, Iceland, UK and Ireland. Recent exhibitions include:
• ‘True/False/Fake/Real’, Espacio Gallery, London, UK
‘Double Vision’, Cultural Centre Vanha Paukku, Lapua, Finland
• ‘Eden’s Blueprint’, Peroia City Gallery, Arizona, USA
• ‘Vanishings Futures: Collective Histories of Northern Irish Art’, Golden Thread Gallery, Belfast, 2015
• ‘Basic Operation’, Catalyst Arts, Belfast, 2015
Artist Statement: My practice stems from a broad fascination with the world around me. Realised through: drawing; archives; digital imagery; interactive social practice; story; moving image; and installation. These allow the viewer to create their own narratives as they are brought through unusual rumors, local lore, historic or accurate happenings. Stemming from a lifelong obsession with collecting, the subject matter combines influences from travel, social interactions, history, iconography, myths, legends and museum categorization. These are presented in humourous ways that entice the viewer to decipher connections and explore the multiple narratives set before them. “I see my art practice as an adventure. I’m an explorer presenting my discoveries.”
“She seems to have a knack for finding the bizarre and unique, sometimes under your very nose, in locations you pass by every day. There are moments when her work can make one feel, as Walker Percy would say, “sunk into our own everydayness.” This exchange is perhaps what is most compelling about Leech’s practice; it challenges the unexamined inheritances of our day-to day affairs.” David Hawkins for Cville newspaper, USA, 2013.
