Charlotte Johannesson: Save as art?
In 1978, Johannesson traded her weaving I’m No Angel for an early version of the personal computer. At a time when they were mostly designed for processing data and text, Johannesson taught herself to program so she could make graphics for the screen. Many of these images were then plotted onto paper to produce prints, long before conventional printers were commonplace. "If you wanted to use a computer to make images back then, you more or less had to figure everything out for yourself. There was no software program you could go out and buy, or anything like that... The process was much more hands-on than now. It all took a very long time – not unlike weaving."
In 1981, funded by The National Swedish Board for Technology and Development, Johannesson established the Digital Theatre with her partner, Sture Johannesson, in Malmö. As Scandinavia’s first digital arts laboratory, the Digital Theatre functioned as an independent platform for both research and artistic projects.
This winter, Kunsthalle Friart presents Charlotte Johannesson’s first exhibition in Switzerland. Save as art? marks the rediscovery of the self-taught Swedish artist, showcasing work from the past 50 years, such as textiles, plotter prints, digital slideshows, paintings and laces form a constellation of recurring patterns. Her work explores the affinities between the craft technology of the loom and digital technologies of computer programming. Across these media, Johannesson continues to challenge the conditions of image-making and to enhance the synchronicity between material and digital production.
Charlotte Johannesson: Save as art? is open for view at Kunsthalle Friart until 11th February 2024.