Johansen’s broad photographic work is an exploration into concepts of repetition, infinity, and the surreal, through repetitive patterns in the photographs themselves as well as in the repetitive act of creating them. Captured with compelling perspectives from above, his most recent conceptual images are based on textile patterns found in woven fabrics, formed with carefully assembled materials from the construction industry. In other works, the artist displays geometric patterns in fields, formed with financial symbols, so as to highlight the cyclically speculative patterns in the financial world. Johansen’s most striking series, however, features other-worldly deserted landscapes with endless horizons; fictional yet highly realistic. These are the result of a painstaking, advanced process, in which the artist creates patterns out of organic materials, such as bread and flour, which he arranges on a table-top and irrigates, until these mold naturally—creating a single piece may take up to two months. Illuminated and captured on camera with no digital manipulation, the evocative landscapes challenge reality, encouraging the viewer to expand their attention.
