The title of the exhibition Open Source is a reference to a computer program that involves others in its production and use. In my case this refers to the collaborative nature of the work as well as to the sourcing of imagery and the undefined possible interpretations and meanings.

The collaborative paintings are made with Daniel Bogunovic, Karma Phuntsok and Yiwon Park and the imagery depends partly on their interests and cultural background. This includes UFOs, crop circles, Tibetan buddhist deities and so on. My own interest in Chinese and Japanese Buddhism, in the Papunya painting movement and in conspiracy theory adds more layers of meaning. There is also a conceptual aspect to the work and an interest in process that survives from my earlier art practice.

The painting Crop Circles utilises the designs found in fields of crops, generally in the UK. Their origin remains a mystery and their symbology is open to numerous interpretations. They are extraordinary in that they appear overnight and are often very complex. Some are hoaxes and there have been many attempts to explain them. But they have been found all around the world and documentation of the phenomena actually dates back to the 17th century. One of the earliest contemporary crop circles was discovered in Tully in Queensland in 1966.

Other paintings in Open Source explore imagery surrounding Buddhist ‘protector’ and ’long life’ deities, but in an eclectic or esoteric manner. There is an accumulation of imagery and the establishment of an artificial or virtual reality that relies on the viewer’s ability to explore and recognise many confluences and notations. The paintings are ‘as it is’, to apply a Buddhist concept, meaning that that they are what they are and not what they are representing.

UFOs per se explores ufology, another unexplained phenomena that is partly science fiction, partly documentation and partly supernatural.

Other paintings explore Buddhist ideas and iconography, linking these to a swag of visual mnemonics that relate to cultural identity and the way this has become more and more fragmented as technology and communications confuse and replicate what was once real.

Tim Johnson 2015

Tim Johnson was born in Sydney in 1947. His remarkable paintings, often described as ‘floating worlds,’ embrace the spiritual iconography of a range of cultures including those of Aboriginal Australia, the Buddhist East and Native America.

His work has featured in a number of Biennales, in Documenta IX in 1992, and the Fourth Guangzhou Triennial in 2012. In 2009 a major survey exhibition was presented by the Art Gallery of NSW and Queensland Art Gallery.

The Luminescent Ground, an important solo exhibition showcasing paintings and photographs from 1970 to 2013, was shown at Ikon Gallery, Birmingham in 2013-14. Tim Johnson has been represented by Tolarno Galleries since 1987.

Press release courtesy Tolarno Galleries.