Bio:
Marley Johnson is a Canadian based artist focused primarily on painting and material practice. He completed his Masters in Fine Art At Concordia University in 2021 within the painting and drawing department. He has used his professional practice to engage with workshops throughout Canada, through Artist in Residency and teaching, such as at the Ross Creek Centre for the Arts situated in Nova Scotia. Marley has shown work through notable culture centres, such as the Maison De la Culture, The Darling Foundry and Gallery 1313 in Toronto Ontario. Most recently he participating in the Banff A.I.R (spring) 2024, creating new works for potential future exhibitions.
Statement:
Marley’s practice is made up of a multiplicity of methods, such as, scavenging, sewing, dyeing, painting, and collaging. Each method brings a different pace and sense of time that are infused together in an epic assemblage. Marley’s journey begins by scavenges for discarded fabrics and materials, dyeing canvas with natural and synthetic pigments and relief printing of found surfaces. The compositions of each work seems to capture in it the whimsical and fleeting, flashy colours and vibrant textures creates compelling kinetic visual scenes. In each work Marley reflects on the displacement of these found materials and their memories and histories, combining the tactility of methods and his research/practice as a way to bring them back to life.