Standstill, 2012. Pigment print © Johnan Willner
A Head On featured exhibition, Boy Stories by Johan Willner, showing at Stanley Street Gallery in Darlinghurst , May 14 – June 7.
“My work began with a single image, a memory. It was probably the strongest image I have ever envisioned, and I wanted to try to take a photograph of it. For many years, I have been on a quest for images. I have photographed people, cultures, landscapes, and religions. I have tried to express myself through others. But, this image I have carried with me. In my mind’s eye, I see a boy. He sits in a car and his head is bleeding. His class- mates surround the car and glare at him, mocking him. I remember that he did not cry, that he never lost face. “- Johan Willner
Johan Willner’s images from his exhibition Boy Stories exist in that uncomfortable and often blurred space between a memory and a dream. These images are strong, detailed, and capture that moment, but only that moment. What went before or happened after this moment?
Before My Time, 2010. Pigment print © Johnan Willner
These seemingly random memories and thoughts from childhood are a pivotal part of understanding who we are, to be processed, questioned and remembered. Does the memory or our interpretation of the memory change with time? Who have we become and how have our memories formed who we are?
Johan Willner is a Swedish artist and will be in Australia for the opening of the Boy Stories on May 14. The Swedish Ambassador will be the guest of honour. It is with great delight that Stanley Street Gallery presents these images. We look forward to hearing and seeing the responses that these images will elicit. Guest Blog By Liza Feeney, Director Stanley Street Gallery
