Bailey Johnson

Artist Statement

In my work, I explore the strangeness of emotion in all its forms, touching upon the twisting paths that it sends us on. I work towards expanding societal boundaries around feelings of grief, anger, and joy to create visual work driven by a shifting narrative. In my triptych, I touch upon the complication of these emotions through compositions that balance stillness and chaos, employing the surreal and whimsical to emphasize and understand them.

Focusing primarily on iconography to relay my narrative, I reflect upon the images of saints that surrounded me as a child in rural Nebraska, interlacing them with figures from the tarot cards that I have discovered more recently. I also lean heavily into the meanings and lore placed upon animals and plants by humans, using these meanings to weave an intricate story within each piece and presenting theatrical depictions of the mind.