Back in CFile’s infancy, we ran a piece by Paul Northway regarding Peter Christian Johnson’s 2013 exhibition at the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts in Helena, Montana. That body of work featured many pieces which appeared to be relics of a forgotten mechnaical age. They’re organized in Johnson’s website under “Industrial Artifacts.”
Above image: Peter Christian Johnson, Blue X, 2014, porcelain, 16.5 x 16.5 x 5 inches
Today we’re highlighting another body of work, his “Deconstruction” series. These are mainly architectural frame-structure porcelain forms, which are coated in thick, liquid-like colors of yellow, orange or red.
Labor is a frequent theme in Johnson’s work. These forms, which look like they were drawn from the screen of a computer-aided drafting program, start as digital renderings and are then made by hand. Johnson said a “fluid skin” is then applied, which is allowed to warp or collapse the underlying structure.
Peter Christian Johnson, Orange V, 2014, porcelain, 22 x 15 x 8 inches
“They expose the relationship between soft and hard, the fluidity of a membrane, and the moment of intersection between these contrasting elements,” Johnson states of the series.
More photographs of the works follow.
Bill Rodgers is a Contributing Editor at CFile.
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Peter Christian Johnson, Church, 2014, porcelain, 26 x 15 x 18 inches
Peter Christian Johnson, Column, 2014, porcelain, 24 x 16 x 16 inches
Peter Christian Johnson, Yellow Marker, 2014, porcelain, 8 x 7 x 4 inches
Peter Christian Johnson, Yellow Drip, 2014, porcelain, 18 x 8 x 8 inches
Peter Christian Johnson, Yellow Cross, 2014, porcelain, 16 x 6 x 16 inches
Peter Christian Johnson, Red Rectangle, 2014, porcelain, 9 x 4.5 x 5 inches
Peter Christian Johnson, Red Marker, 2014, porcelain, 7 x 8 x 4 inches
Peter Christian Johnson, Red Bridge, 2014, porcelain, 30 x 10 x 9 inches
Peter Christian Johnson, Orange Cube, 2014, porcelain, 4 x 4 x 4 inches. Photographs courtesy of the artist.
The interplay of the soft blanket like skin interacts exquisitely with the structured hard surfaces.