Kysa Johnson

Kysa Johnson’s (b. 1974) drawings, paintings, and installations explore the interconnected systems that shape the physical world, using patterns found in nature at the extremes of scale to consider our place within the universe and across history. Drawing from forms such as subatomic decay patterns, maps of the cosmos, and the molecular structures of pollutants, diseases, and cures, her work brings together microscopic and macroscopic “landscapes” to reveal physical realities invisible to the naked eye. Intricate networks of marks are woven into complex, lyrical compositions in which these underlying structures become a visual language, echoing and expanding upon their sources and transforming scientific systems into richly layered visual worlds.

Born in Illinois in 1974, Johnson graduated with honors from the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland. Her solo exhibitions include The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, The National Academy of Sciences, The Nicolaysen Museum, Morgan Lehman Gallery, Halsey McKay, Scott Miller Projects, Von Lintel Gallery, Nancy Littlejohn Fine Art, and MOAH Lancaster. Her work has been exhibited at institutions including The Tang Museum, The Katonah Museum of Art, The Hudson River Museum, DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Dublin Contemporary, and the 2nd Biennial of the Canary Islands. She has created site-specific installations for the Armory Show, Grace Farms Foundation, Watertown Exploratory Labs, and the Empire State Building. Her work has been featured in Artforum, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Interview Magazine, Fast Company, and The San Francisco Chronicle. Johnson is a NYFA Fellow and Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant recipient. Her work is held in public and corporate collections including MIT, Google, Microsoft, Deutsche Bank, Fidelity, and The Progressive Collection. She lives and works in Los Angeles.