Erik Johansson (artist)

Erik Johansson (born April 1985) is a Swedish-born artist based in Prague who creates surreal images by recombining photographs and other materials.[2][3][4] He captures ideas by combining images in new ways to create what looks like a real photograph, yet with logical inconsistencies to impart an effect of surrealism.

For other people named Erik Johansson, see Erik Johansson.
Erik Johansson
Johansson in 2013
BornApril 1985 (age 36–37)[1]
Götene, Sweden[1]
NationalitySwedish
EducationChalmers University of Technology[1]
Known forSurrealist Photography
Notable work
The Funny Blogger
WebsiteErikJohanssonPhoto.com

Biography

Erik Johannson grew up in rural Sweden that is the setting for many of his well-known images. His first camera was given to him when he was 15 years old and his grandmother was a painter. He studied Computer Engineering at Chalmers University in Gothenburg[5] and has worked for multinational companies such as Google, Ikea and Microsoft.

He became self-employed when he moved to Norrköping. He became known since his student days after having uploaded some projects on the internet and responded to many commission requests. In 2012 he moved permanently to Germany, living in Berlin for several years, and eventually decided to move to the nearby Czech capital.

His witty and striking creations have been defined by some authors as impossible photography.[6]

Artistic Influences

Johansson draws inspiration from a range of sources for his surrealist images, influenced by the world that surrounds him. At any time the environment he is working in, the music he is listening to or his mood can effect the final production of his work.[7] The artist says that his birth country will always remain a reference point for his surrealist scenes. He notes that "Sweden will always have a special place in my work ... I like the roughness of it [The Northern European Landscape] and the way the light shapes the landscapes in summer and wintertime, giving them a special character."[7] Johansson also says that he gets inspiration more from painters than photographers. Some major artists he noted as key influences for his works include Salvador Dali, M.C Escher, René Magritte, Rob Gonsalves and Jacek Yerka.[8]

Creative Process

Some finished images are the combination of "hundreds of original photographs" as well as raw materials, and Johansson spends dozens of hours using image manipulation software such as Adobe Photoshop to alter the image digitally and to illustrate his idea.[9] Reporter Robert Krulwich wrote that Johansson creates a "meticulous fantasy" which is "part photograph, part construction, part drawing" with "so many layers of foolery in his images, you can't pull the illusion apart, it fits together so perfectly."[3]

References
  1. FAQ & Biography Archived 2014-07-06 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved Oct. 16, 2014
  2. "Post-photography: when artists go wild with cameras - in pictures". The Guardian. 2 October 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2014. ...Go Your Own Road, 2008, by Erik Johansson....
  3. Robert Krulwich (August 24, 2014). "Roadways You Can Install Like Throw Rugs". NPR. Retrieved October 16, 2014. ...He's a photographer and, as he puts it modestly, "a retouch artist" from Sweden, based in Berlin. What you see here is a meticulous fantasy — part photograph, part construction, part drawing. There are so many layers of foolery in his images, you can't pull the illusion apart, it fits together so perfectly ...
  4. "Erik Johanssons foton lever i en tredimensionell verklighet". Sverigesradio. March 6, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2014. ...Erik Johansson från Holmestad arbetar som retuscherande fotograf och sann artist. ...
  5. Mingo, Por (2012-11-01). "Erik Johansson el Fotógrafo y Photoshop". Conoce el mundo de la Fotografía (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  6. "How to Create Impossible Images: Erik Johansson". Digital Photography School. 2012-02-20. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
  7. Coppelman, Alicia. “Seeing the world through a surreal lens.” Last modified February 12, 2018. https://creativecloud.adobe.com/discover/article/seeing-the-world-through-a-surreal-lens-erik-johansson
  8. Erik Johansson. “Questions and Answers”. Accessed March 11, 2022. https://www.erikjo.com/faq
  9. Kerr, Euan (25 January 2019). "Johansson's surreal images delight, provoke thoughts". MPR News.


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