Domestified Angst : Second Recording

Abstract

Excerpt from essay by Dick Goody: To say that Johnson’s identity is wrapped up in himself, that is, in his image, is an idiotic aphorism. Yet, the image of his face is often present in his work. His self-depictions channel the simulacra of a saccharine TV announcer. The face becomes a target at which to aim scorn. If it is self-flagellation, it also serves as a signifier of Johnson’s tortured layered identities. However, at the same time, it is symbolic of his personal thick-skinned resilience, survival and scorn: the distorted idiotic face taunts, as if the artist is mocking his personal anxieties stirred up by concerns over the authenticity of his own warped identity.