Born 1974 in Aachen, Germany. 
Lives and works in Leipzig, Germany.

Andreas Johnen’s work is an abstract combination of thought and manual skill. With his emphasis on repetition and process, he follows in the tradition of conceptual minimalists such as Carl Andre and Charlotte Posenenske, for whom the art object coincided with the labour through which it was produced.

In his practice, he uses different methods to saturate paper with colour. He applies the paint until the paper can hold no more.

„In performative processes based on the repetition of moments, I create works on paper that can be understood as ‚negative sculptures‚ of high plasticity. Here, paper and watercolour are combined through equal handling – by dipping the paper – to create something inseparable. In the more immediate-looking sculptures made of concrete and foam, the materials combine through an interplay of forces that remain visible.“

The sometimes minimal interventions lead to works that oscillate between figure and architecture through the duration of the processing and the strain on the materials. Physical and sensual, they mediate between space and the viewer. 

Andreas Johnen 2023