UNTIL THE KINGDOM COMES
BY WALL DONE, 17/07/2011
In his ongoing series Until the Kingdom Comes, begun in 2004 and first shown in 2006, Simen Johan depicts a natural world hovering between reality, fantasy and nightmare. Merging traditional photographic techniques with digital methods, Johan’s images are crafted over time and may include a synthesis of landscapes from various geographical locations and animals photographed in captivity or in the wild.
He blurs the boundaries between the real and the unreal, re-imagining worlds that, much like our own, are forever a mystery. Majestic animals in fantasy landscapes are set in relief against a darker reality, one of absence and longing. The work addresses primal experiences, shaped by desires and fears—solitary paths towards imagined fulfillment.
All images are from the series Until the Kingdom Comes © Simen Johan, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York.
