Yantra, 2008
acrylic on linen
183.0
x 325.0
cm
signed, dated and inscribed with title (on the reverse of each panel)
Provenance
Collaborating artists Karma Phuntsock (Tibet, b. 1952) & Nava Chapman (Australia, b. 1973)
Roundabout, Wellington, New Zealand
Private collection, Queenstown, New Zealand
Exhibited
Roundabout, Wellington City Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand, 2010
Roundabout Face to Face, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv, Israel, 2011
Literature
Thomas, Nicholas, Roundabout, ArtAsiaPacific Publishing, 2010, pp. 92-97
McDonald, John, 'Tim Johnson', http://johnmcdonald.net.au/, 9 May 2009, The Sydney Morning Herald, 2 May 2009
Johnson draws on a variety of experiences and sources to make ethereal, floating landscapes. The artistic and spiritual practices that have shaped his view of the world are joined visually and conceptually in his canvas panels that brim with transcendent possibilities.
His signature vibrating field of white dots overlaying soft plumes of colour, create a sense of deep space; like a new plane of existence where different sacred and non-sacred symbols, elements and artists’ hands meet and collaborate.
In 1980 Johnson visited Papunya, where the Western Desert was revealed to him in dot sequences. He was given permission by the senior artists to use this sequencing, which he continues to do in this context. At the same time, Johnson developed an interest in Buddhism and Asian art. These two forces have guided his practice for over three decades.
The yantra in the third panel is a mystical diagram that serves in meditation as a centering device. It is used to draw consciousness away from the outer world to the inner – a logical, concentric structure that is also a symbolic gateway to enlightened seeing.
A yantra has been described as a point on a surface, which serves as a field for gazing. Johnson’s panels contain many such points, like dots, that symbolise unity and origin; they are kernels that carry the potential to expand your inner knowledge.
Courtesy of the artist and Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne