MARTINE JOHANNA
Artist bio
Education
MA, ArtEZ – Institute of the Arts, Arnhem, NL
BA, ArtEZ – Institute of the Arts, Arnhem, NL
Martine Johanna is a Dutch born female artist actively exhibiting her work since 2007, starting from little daily drawings to Amsterdam street art with a small band of brothers, within 2 years, she developed into a full blown painter saying farewell to her job in design and going back to her artistic roots whilst partime residing as a freelance lecturer at the HVA.
In 2010 a first conceptual solo show “Souvenir” that addressed the mourning of her father was held in Spui 21 Amsterdam, a collection of small sculptures made from re-used discarded organic objects plus a selection of photography, drawings and paintings, making the artist want to engage in more full body exhibitions with an overarching concept. In 2014, after developing her painting practice further, a second solo show was held at Walls gallery, (later Bright side gallery) in the center of Amsterdam. Also in that year she attended her first exhibition overseas at Spoke art in San Francisco, USA. After several group exhibitions abroad she had her first solo in 2016 at Spoke art, San Francisco and the year after in 2017, this exhibition took place in Chelsea New York at MasseyLyuben gallery.
Artist bio
Education
MA, ArtEZ – Institute of the Arts, Arnhem, NL
BA, ArtEZ – Institute of the Arts, Arnhem, NL
Martine Johanna is a Dutch born female artist actively exhibiting her work since 2007, starting from little daily drawings to Amsterdam street art with a small band of brothers, within 2 years, she developed into a full blown painter saying farewell to her job in design and going back to her artistic roots whilst partime residing as a freelance lecturer at the HVA.
In 2010 a first conceptual solo show “Souvenir” that addressed the mourning of her father was held in Spui 21 Amsterdam, a collection of small sculptures made from re-used discarded organic objects plus a selection of photography, drawings and paintings, making the artist want to engage in more full body exhibitions with an overarching concept. In 2014, after developing her painting practice further, a second solo show was held at Walls gallery, (later Bright side gallery) in the center of Amsterdam. Also in that year she attended her first exhibition overseas at Spoke art in San Francisco, USA. After several group exhibitions abroad she had her first solo in 2016 at Spoke art, San Francisco and the year after in 2017, this exhibition took place in Chelsea New York at MasseyLyuben gallery.
The artist currently lives and works in the Netherlands in her artist home and studio in the countryside since 2017 maintaining close ties to her former Amsterdam location where she resided for 12 years.
Galleries:
MasseyKlein Gallery, NY
KochXBos gallery
Amsterdam
ABOUT THE WORK
The escapistic and slightly hypnagogic works of Martine Johanna are figurative within the realm of new contemporary realism, and embody the inner workings of "the female chimerical house". A self invoked symbolic house that explores the mental fluctuations of an archetypical female roaming a predominantly male infrastructure while trying to observantly experience her own narratives within the social fabric she is part of.
The painterly works, often on linen and panels, are made with acrylic in an optimistic prismatic color spectrum reminiscent of Fauvism and carry the atmosphere of Mid Century idealism. The works often include framing that let the image bleed into the “real world”. Cut-throughs and light prisms distort the female protagonists in elucidating dynamic surreal compositions, making an exploratory play between abstraction and narrative depiction.
MESMERIZED BY MERCURY WINDOWS
Part of Johanna’s inspiration is drawn from childhood. Raised with a strict upbringing, the artist grew up in an environment structured by traditional gender divides, rules and roles. Cheap dime novels, TV programs and fashion magazines, much like the screens and social media channels of today, provided escape into an illusive and ethereal world filled with fairytale castles and savior princes. Johanna’s female protagonists playfully exhibit the inner struggle between youthful naivety and adulthood, in an attempt to establish their own gender driven identities and romantic inclinations while trying to fit into the world around them.
Martine Johanna studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Arnhem, Netherlands, where she completed both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. She has exhibited internationally, including exhibitions at commercial galleries in Amsterdam, San Francisco, New York, Aalborg, Los Angeles and San Diego, and has participated in exhibitions at cultural institutions including the Mesa Arts Museum in Arizona and Collectie de Groen in Arnhem. The artist has had two previous solo exhibitions with Massey Klein Gallery: Balancing Act, on view from 11 September through 24 October 2020, and Life is But A Dream, on view from 12 October through 11 November 2018. Johanna’s work resides in prominent private collections internationally. In 2020 the artist received project funding of 2021 Mondriaanfonds project support for a 3 form project that is yet to be released.
United States
MASSEY KLEIN GALLERY
124 Forsyth Street
New York, US
info@masseyklein.com
www.masseyklein.com
Europe
KOCHxBOS GALLERY
Eerste Anjeliersdwarsstraat 36
Amsterdam, NL
info@kochxbos.com
www.kochxbos.nl
SOLO AND TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2024
To be titled, January, Hashimoto contemporary, Los Angeles, USA
2023
How To Releave stress And Anxiety Through Good Housekeeping,
April 7 May 20, Massey Klein Gallery, New York, USA
2022
A Luminous Void, May, KochXBos Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2021
The Dark House Of Gloria, Hashimoto contemporary, San Francisco, USA
2020
Balancing Act, Massey Klein Gallery, New York, USA
Surrender Dorothy, KochXBos Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2018
Life is but a Dream, Massey Klein Gallery, New York, USA
Dark Matter, KochXBos Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2017
Something's Wrong, Massey Lyuben, New York, USA
2016
Dancer, Spoke Art, San Francisco, USA
Happy Days, Bright Side Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2014
The Grand Illusion of Sanity, Walls Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2012
While We Wait for the Sun to Come (duo), Walls Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2011
Utopia (duo), Sprmrkt, Amsterdam, NL
2010
Souvenir, Spui 23, Amsterdam, NL
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS AND ART FAIRS
2022
Spoke art, the Moleskine Exhibition, Mesa arts Museum, Mesa, US
Group exhibition, Kirk Gallery, Aalborg, DK
Halcyon Days, Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, USA
2021
At the edge of realism, Kirk Gallery, Aalborg, DK
Inaugural, Hashimoto Contemporary, Los Angeles, USA
ExtraPlaats ExtraWerk, Plaatsmaken, Arnhem, Extrapool, Nijmegen, NL
Arnhemseuitnacht, Collectie de groen, Arnhem, NL
2020
Lately, Hashimoto Contemporary, San Francisco, USA
2019
Push Play, Massey Klein Gallery, NY, USA
Scope Art Fair, Miamy Beach, USA
Summer show, KOCHXBOS, Amsterdam, NL
12x12, Heron Arts, San Francisco, USA
KunstRai, KOCHXBOS, Amsterdam, NL
The Moleskine Project VIII, Hashimoto Contemporary, San Francisco, US
Seeing red, Thinkspace, Los Angeles, USA
2018
Hands On, Massey Klein Gallery, New York, USA
Ephemeral, BB Magazine, Modern Eden, San Francisco, USA
2017
Shaping The Future, Kallenbach Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2016
Summer Collective, Massey Lyuben, New York, USA
Format Neon, Massey Lyuben, New York, USA
Welcome to the Bright Side, Bright Side Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2015
Nyctophilia, Curatorial, Walls Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
This Art Fair, Bright Side Gallery / Amsterdam, NL
Nyctophilia, Walls Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
Bad Dads, Wes Anderson, Joseph Gross Gallery, New York, USA
KunstRai, Walls Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
The Moleskine Project I, Hashimoto Contemporary, San Francisco, USA
Quotes, Lines & Lyrics, Hero Complex Gallery, LA, USA
PRISMA Collective, Spoke Art, San Francisco, USA
2014
Imagined Worlds, Hero Complex Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
Last Breath of Summer, Subtext Gallery, San Diego, USA
King For A Day, Stephen King, Hero Complex Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
Miscellaneous, Walls Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
Supersonic I, Spoke Art, San Francisco, USA
2013
Summer Collection, Walls Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
On Paper, Walls Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
Realisme, Amsterdam with Walls Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2011
Collectie Imaginaire, Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam, NL
The escapistic and slightly hypnagogic works of Martine Johanna are figurative within the realm of new contemporary realism, and embody the inner workings of "the female chimerical house". A self invoked symbolic house that explores the mental fluctuations of an archetypical female roaming a predominantly male infrastructure while trying to observantly experience her own narratives within the social fabric she is part of.
The painterly works, often on linen and panels, are made with acrylic in an optimistic prismatic color spectrum reminiscent of Fauvism and carry the atmosphere of Mid Century idealism. The works often include framing that let the image bleed into the “real world”. Cut-throughs and light prisms distort the female protagonists in elucidating dynamic surreal compositions, making an exploratory play between abstraction and narrative depiction.
MESMERIZED BY MERCURY WINDOWS
Part of Johanna’s inspiration is drawn from childhood. Raised with a strict upbringing, the artist grew up in an environment structured by traditional gender divides, rules and roles. Cheap dime novels, TV programs and fashion magazines, much like the screens and social media channels of today, provided escape into an illusive and ethereal world filled with fairytale castles and savior princes. Johanna’s female protagonists playfully exhibit the inner struggle between youthful naivety and adulthood, in an attempt to establish their own gender driven identities and romantic inclinations while trying to fit into the world around them.
Martine Johanna studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Arnhem, Netherlands, where she completed both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. She has exhibited internationally, including exhibitions at commercial galleries in Amsterdam, San Francisco, New York, Aalborg, Los Angeles and San Diego, and has participated in exhibitions at cultural institutions including the Mesa Arts Museum in Arizona and Collectie de Groen in Arnhem. The artist has had two previous solo exhibitions with Massey Klein Gallery: Balancing Act, on view from 11 September through 24 October 2020, and Life is But A Dream, on view from 12 October through 11 November 2018. Johanna’s work resides in prominent private collections internationally. In 2020 the artist received project funding of 2021 Mondriaanfonds project support for a 3 form project that is yet to be released.
United States
MASSEY KLEIN GALLERY
124 Forsyth Street
New York, US
info@masseyklein.com
www.masseyklein.com
Europe
KOCHxBOS GALLERY
Eerste Anjeliersdwarsstraat 36
Amsterdam, NL
info@kochxbos.com
www.kochxbos.nl
SOLO AND TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2024
To be titled, January, Hashimoto contemporary, Los Angeles, USA
2023
How To Releave stress And Anxiety Through Good Housekeeping,
April 7 May 20, Massey Klein Gallery, New York, USA
2022
A Luminous Void, May, KochXBos Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2021
The Dark House Of Gloria, Hashimoto contemporary, San Francisco, USA
2020
Balancing Act, Massey Klein Gallery, New York, USA
Surrender Dorothy, KochXBos Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2018
Life is but a Dream, Massey Klein Gallery, New York, USA
Dark Matter, KochXBos Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2017
Something's Wrong, Massey Lyuben, New York, USA
2016
Dancer, Spoke Art, San Francisco, USA
Happy Days, Bright Side Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2014
The Grand Illusion of Sanity, Walls Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2012
While We Wait for the Sun to Come (duo), Walls Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2011
Utopia (duo), Sprmrkt, Amsterdam, NL
2010
Souvenir, Spui 23, Amsterdam, NL
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS AND ART FAIRS
2022
Spoke art, the Moleskine Exhibition, Mesa arts Museum, Mesa, US
Group exhibition, Kirk Gallery, Aalborg, DK
Halcyon Days, Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, USA
2021
At the edge of realism, Kirk Gallery, Aalborg, DK
Inaugural, Hashimoto Contemporary, Los Angeles, USA
ExtraPlaats ExtraWerk, Plaatsmaken, Arnhem, Extrapool, Nijmegen, NL
Arnhemseuitnacht, Collectie de groen, Arnhem, NL
2020
Lately, Hashimoto Contemporary, San Francisco, USA
2019
Push Play, Massey Klein Gallery, NY, USA
Scope Art Fair, Miamy Beach, USA
Summer show, KOCHXBOS, Amsterdam, NL
12x12, Heron Arts, San Francisco, USA
KunstRai, KOCHXBOS, Amsterdam, NL
The Moleskine Project VIII, Hashimoto Contemporary, San Francisco, US
Seeing red, Thinkspace, Los Angeles, USA
2018
Hands On, Massey Klein Gallery, New York, USA
Ephemeral, BB Magazine, Modern Eden, San Francisco, USA
2017
Shaping The Future, Kallenbach Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2016
Summer Collective, Massey Lyuben, New York, USA
Format Neon, Massey Lyuben, New York, USA
Welcome to the Bright Side, Bright Side Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2015
Nyctophilia, Curatorial, Walls Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
This Art Fair, Bright Side Gallery / Amsterdam, NL
Nyctophilia, Walls Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
Bad Dads, Wes Anderson, Joseph Gross Gallery, New York, USA
KunstRai, Walls Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
The Moleskine Project I, Hashimoto Contemporary, San Francisco, USA
Quotes, Lines & Lyrics, Hero Complex Gallery, LA, USA
PRISMA Collective, Spoke Art, San Francisco, USA
2014
Imagined Worlds, Hero Complex Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
Last Breath of Summer, Subtext Gallery, San Diego, USA
King For A Day, Stephen King, Hero Complex Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
Miscellaneous, Walls Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
Supersonic I, Spoke Art, San Francisco, USA
2013
Summer Collection, Walls Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
On Paper, Walls Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
Realisme, Amsterdam with Walls Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
2011
Collectie Imaginaire, Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam, NL