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11 July / 04 August 2013
PIA JOHNSON
Finding Yourself At Home Alone
Finding Yourself at Home Alone takes us straight into the intimate arena of self-portraiture.
We understand home to be a safe and familiar place, surrounded by our belongings and cultural codes; home confirms who we are. Turning these notions on their head, Johnson delves into a world where isolation and loneliness overwhelm, and the sense of identity becomes fragmentary.
The works ask more questions than delivers answers, with a range of larger compositions containing Johnson – constructed within the frame – to segmented body parts and finally ordinary household objects given life through her unique perspective. On the whole the images retain a quiet cinematic distance with a melancholic mood. And yet, glimpses of chaos and fear are equally present revealing a fragile inner landscape.
“This is my most revealing work to date,” Johnson explains, “Turning the camera onto oneself is very intimidating. At the same time it gave me more freedom to experiment and explore different spaces and the body in a way you can’t always do when photographing another person or model.”
