Vincent Johnson
The Tunnel

Vincent Johnson (b. 1956, Cleveland, Ohio) is a writer and artist based in Los Angeles, which provides landscape and inspiration for much of his work. Turning his camera often toward architectural artifacts, Johnson documents the transformation and decay of North American cities. He brings to his work immense research and knowledge of cinema, architecture, and art history, effortlessly alluding to phenomena like urban decay in the absence of human subjects. He likens his textured, rich photographs to staring through the window on a Los Angeles drive — a duality between the “temporary encounter” of an object and the “enduring intimacy” that memory savors. He received his MFA from Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA, and has exhibited widely at MoMA PS1, New York; the SK Stiftung, Cologne; Santa Monica Museum of Art; the Studio Museum in Harlem; and LAXART, Los Angeles. This work is offered as an extension of his participation in Drive by Art LA.