Gerry Johansson is a reserved but investigative photographer. In his grayscale images, composed down to the last detail, he visualizes a phenomenon that is often understood as an abstract, elusive concept: Culture. Or, to be more precise, the cultural differences between the locations portrayed – no matter how subtle they may be. The true meaning of Gerry Johansson’s works can only be found in the deeper layers of what is shown. For decades he has traveled to countless places all over the world, some relatively close like the Swedish Kvidinge, others far away like the Mongolian Ulan Bator or the city of Pontiac in the Midwestern United States.  Although these places could hardly be more different, he always returned with a collection of similar pictures. Gerry Johansson’s independent visual language is the central thread that connects the places aesthetically with each other. At the same time, however, it also represents the key that enables the viewer to decode the cultural differences in what is shown.

Born in 1945 in Örebro, Sweden, Gerry Johansson’s interest in photography began to develop as a teenager. After a stay in New York for several years in the early 1960s, he first studied graphic design at the School of Design and Crafts in Gothenburg, Sweden. After graduating in 1969, he worked as a graphic designer for 15 years before dedicating himself completely to photography in the mid-1980s.

Johansson’s works have been exhibited several times in renowned institutions such as the Deutsches Architekturmuseum in Frankfurt am Main, Moderna Museet in Stockholm and Kunsthalle Rostock, Germany. Gerry Johansson lives in Höganäs in southern Sweden. Gerry Johansson lives in Höganäs in southern Sweden.

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