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“Ashli,” a photo-based mixed-media print by Ervin A. Johnson, 56 x 42 inches (Image courtesy Candela Books + Gallery)
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“George,” a photo-based mixed-media print by Ervin A. Johnson, 56 x 42 inches (Image courtesy Candela Books + Gallery)
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“Toya,” a photo-based mixed-media print by Ervin A. Johnson, 56 x 42 inches (Image courtesy Candela Books + Gallery)
The faces are shattered. They’re wiped and blurry. They stare out and question. They are the photographic mixed-media prints of "#InHonor," an exhibition by Chicago-based artist Ervin A. Johnson that closes Feb. 16 when its current run ends at the downtown Candela Books + Gallery.
The palpable energy of these large-format pieces is best experienced in person, and they are both disconcerting and affirming. Johnson embarked upon this project out of his desire to address his experience “as a queer black man and the killing of black people across America,” as Candela’s description details. Johnson began "#InHonor" around the time of the protests following the deaths of Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner.
Within the quiet space of the gallery, these still and vivid images are reflective of the often violent videos that circulate in the media, sometimes used as evidence in trials and otherwise now part of our cultural life.
Johnson’s technique for these pieces entails the vigorous removal of pigment from his original photographs and meticulous reconstruction of the canvas with layers of skin-toned color. What this causes is a metaphorical depiction of physiological trauma. The hashtag of the title acknowledges how social media and the documentation by both victims and witnesses in violent encounters has brought wider attention to a pervasive problem.
They bear witness.
