Voldemārs Johansons

Voldemārs Johansons’ artworks are grounded in research and science. He works with video, installations, sound and other media. One of his favourite motifs is waves. Johansons observes this force of nature in many physical forms, from sound signals to movements on the surface of the ocean. The rhythmic structure of waves is echoed in his artistic forms, while the mood is dominated by the spirit of inquiry.

In “In the Oceans” Johansons applies the natural metaphor to the virtual environment, where people’s obsession with images transforms the screen into a new – visual - ocean. The work demonstrates the flow of visual information published at the present time by internet users and which pours like an avalanche onto the viewer. The rate of flow exceeds the human capacity to absorb it, and so trying to see individual images is like trying to have a drink while standing under a waterfall. Social media are turning the countless visual messages published by individuals into a phenomenon that can either be studied or simply viewed with a beguiled romantic attitude.

In the Oceans. 2018–2020.