Johansson Projects presents: “Partnerlook”, an exhibition of new paintings and ceramic sculptures by artist Michelle Blade.

“Partnerlook” is a term that stems from the German colloquial for wearing matching clothes, and is an underlying theme throughout this intimate body of work. The pieces look toward one another, they echo visual similarities, and they mimic investigations of the natural world and the role the human figure takes within it.

The works are small in scale, and explore a vibrant cosmos of form and texture, at times bleeding into abstraction. Figures gather in these celestial landscapes. They are both seekers and witnesses to the beautiful phenomena of the apocalypse. Their collective survival serves as a reminder of a hope to gain insight beyond individual understanding. Sculptures spread throughout the show serve as totemic candle-bearers for this mortal venture, signifiers of humankind’s awed relationship with the natural world.