Johnna Arnold
FITE: Magnetic Fields #02, 2021

C-print; 28 x 40 inches
Unique, signed, verso
Unframed
Courtesy of the artist and Sarah Shepard Gallery
Estimated value: $3,500

"From Inside This Earth" is a body of unique photograms made by putting samples of used motor oil into a traditional color enlarger. Both motor oil and photography have been pivotal in shaping modern society. Photography is used to capture experience, to freeze time, and to tell a story. Oil is used to heat structures, to manufacture products, and for transportation. By using photography to investigate oil, these prints investigate the story of a substance commonly viewed as utilitarian. The intention of the work is to bring awareness to humanity's relationship with fossil fuel, and to share a unique perspective on these materials that shape our society. The photogram FITE: Magnetic Fields, #02 is part of a new series of prints that investigate the interconnection between different forms of energy. In this image I combined used motor oil with selections of an illustration of magnetic fields in a color enlarger. When light shines through this collage of oil, ink, and transparency, the photo emulsion transfers this light into physical matter. This momentary transference of energy is one example of the extensive cycle of life and decay that surrounds us.

About the Artist:
Johnna Arnold

Johnna Arnold is an artist, photographer, educator, and urban farmer based in Oakland, CA. Her work revolves around human beings, the environments we build, and the ways these systems affect our lives. Johnna’s recent projects include analog photograms made from used motor oil, a participatory meditation project sponsored by the Oakland Museum of California, and a billboard granted by the Tulsa Artist Fellowship. Trained as a photographer, she is currently creating analog photograms from used motor oil, as well as a participatory photography project based on guided meditation. The industrial revolution propagated an understanding of nature as pure physical matter, devoid of spirit or inner purpose. Arnold’s work inspects this philosophy by investigating the interconnections between our perspectives on reality and the way we carry out our daily lives.

Johnna received her BA in photography from Bard College, NY, in 1996, and her MFA from Mills College, Oakland, CA, in 2005. She has taught photography classes at San Francisco Art Institute and University of San Francisco. Johnna has worked as an artist in residence at Banff Center for the Arts, AB; Kala Art Institute, Berkeley, CA; the Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT; and RayKo Photography, San Francisco. She has exhibited at venues including the Headlands Center for the Arts, Marin; San Francisco Camerawork, Oakland International Airport, and San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery. Her work is a part of multiple public collections including Pier 24 in San Francisco and UNESCO in Paris, France.

Website: johnnaarnold.com | sarahshepardgallery.com
Instagram: @johnnack | @sarahshepardgallery
Venmo: @j-arnold