(1979, Syracuse, NY, US)
Ian Johnson lives and works in San Francisco, CA. He creates portraits predominately of jazz musicians of the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s. Johnson investigates the space between the spontaneous nature of jazz music and the physical structure of the human form.
Johnson is also the art director of San Francisco’s Western Edition Skateboards, which allows him to explore the fundamental nature of his portraits as both a cultural and commercial product.
Watch this video by Ando Nesia:
IAN JOHNSON Born in Syracuse, NY 1979 Lives and Works in San Francisco SELECTED SOLO / TWO PERSON SHOWS 2012 Straight Ahead, Park Life, San Francisco 2011 The Last Time It Was Gray (with Sadie Barnette), Park Life, San Francisco 2010 Of The Living Sky, Park Life, San Francisco 2009 Ian Johnson, White Walls, San Francisco 2008 Other Rooms, Other Songs, Park Life, San Francisco 2008 Ian Johnson and Albert Reyes, White Walls, San Francisco 2007 Moods In Free Time, Park Life, San Francisco 2004 Alone Together, Future Primitive, San Francisco SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2010 Diverse Chorus, Scoop, Charleston, SC 100 Records, Gallery 16, San Francisco 2007 Cascading Piles of Debris, Ok Ok, Seattle My Favorite Color, White Walls, San Francisco 2006 Clement Cement, 3131, San Francisco 2005 Flanuer, Punch Gallery, San Francisco 2002 Test Group, Fifty 24 SF, San Francisco PUBLICATIONS “Beauty Is A Rare Thing” Published by Paper Museum Press, 2008 www.paper-museum.net BIBLIOGRAPHY 2010 Yenches, Dominick. "Of The Living Sky," Ollie, #134, 6/10 Whiteley, Mark. "Ian Johnson," Juxtapoz, #111, 4/10 2009 Le Goff, Guillaume. "A Little Bit Of Jazz," Clark, #34, 6/10 Maneiri, Mario. "Ian Johnson," Jazz Colours, #5, 5/10 ILLUSTRATION WORK New York Times Magazine San Francisco Chronicle Sb Japan Straight No Chaser The New Yorker Wax Poetics