PAINTINGS – JOHAN SCOTT

PRESS RELEASE (in Finnish)

The exhibition of Johan Scott showcases the artist’s works from 1990 to 1994. This exhibition interestingly continues and complements the previous one at the Pori Art Museum, which featured Silja Rantanen’s paintings. A unifying theme between the two exhibitions is the role and significance of painting within the diverse field of contemporary art, particularly the modern artist’s relationship with the legacy of modernism.

As a colorist and image-builder, Scott utilizes the material and sensory qualities of color. Instead of traditional canvas, he often uses thin metal sheets or plastic film as the painting surface, which he covers with luminous layers of paint. The glowing surface of copper or silver leaf shimmers through the dynamic network of brushstrokes. The rhythm created by the interplay of stillness and movement within the paintings evokes a sense of a process, suggesting the emergence of form or space.

Johan Scott has written about his paintings:
“Painting, for me, is one way of spreading color on a surface. The color must justify itself, wherever it is. Everything in the image must be essential; there is no need for apologies, external explanations, illusions, or anecdotes to aid interpretation. A painting contains neither meanings nor interpretations.”

Born in 1953 in Mariehamn, Johan Scott received his artistic education in Stockholm (1976–81 at Konsthögskolan) and New York (1982–83 at P.S. 1 Institute for Urban Research). He lives and works in Stockholm and Åland.

Johan Scott is one of the most internationally renowned Nordic artists and became particularly well-known to Finnish audiences in 1992 when he was awarded the Ars Fennica Prize. His works were first exhibited at the Pori Art Museum in 1986 as part of the group exhibition Contacts/Contrasts and have since been featured in several collection exhibitions.

The exhibition has been organized as a collaboration between three Nordic art museums—Sundsvalls Museum, Pori Art Museum, and Ålands Konstmuseum—with the support of the Nordic Culture Fund. An accompanying publication includes a text by art critic Gertrud Sandqvist.

Publication:
ISBN 951-9355-43-X
Johan Scott Porin taidemuseo 10.2.-19.3.1995
Finnish translation: Jari-Pekka Vanhala
Painohäme Oy, Ylöjärvi 1995

Translated with ChatGPT