KWYNN JOHNSON

Fig. 1. Red Crescent. 2009. Embroidery thread on linen. 4.5 x 7 inches. Solo Art Exhibition: Red, appropriated. Soft Box Art Gallery, Port of Spain, Trinidad.

The Red Crescent was one of 157 works exhibited at my fifth solo art exhibition in 2009. The show was entitled Red, appropriated, an exploration of colour and meaning, through the history of art. The Red Crescent — an embroidered work on linen, presented one of the ways the colour red as ascribed to a symbol gives it meaning.  Red has also been appropriated in terms such as Red Cross, Red Army, Red Coral, Red Sea, Red Flag, Red herring and Red light. All of these and more were featured in the exhibition. The Palestine Red Crescent Society was formed in Jerusalem, Palestine, in 1901, established in Cairo, Egypt, 1969, and in 1997 became a member of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. As with the use of a Red Cross, so too does the Red Crescent clearly articulate a religious representation and acknowledgement of the Islamic world. Moreover, the Red Crescent Society underscores the longstanding severity of the Israeli occupation in Palestine. The Red Cross and Red Crescent remain universal symbols in the 21st century, still in dire need of humanitarian assistance.

Fig. 2. Gold Member. 2010. Oils on Cedar Board, with 23-ct Gold Leaf.
15 & 153 cm. [5 ⅞ x 60 ⅛ inches].

Fig 3. Oil Wars ii. 2010. Oils on Cedar Board, with 23-ct Gold Leaf.
15 & 153 cm. [5 ⅞ x 60 ⅛ inches].

Gold Member, and Oil Wars are two works from my  sixth solo art exhibition (2010) entitled Black Gold: Playing with Oil. This series of 26 oil paintings explored the global conversation around Big Oil, the environment, and war. Gold Member juxtaposes military camouflage uniforms and the drill bit used in oil exploration. Oil Wars ii depicts the centrality of the Oil and Gas industries in the Middle East. These paintings also considered the role of Oil in the Arab World, and how Oil and War have become inextricably bound. Our Oil and Gas fields and subsea drilling platforms in Trinidad and Tobago have often been named after trees, such as the Teak, Samaan and Poui. These 26 paintings were done on local cedar boards and 200 cedar seedlings were distributed to viewers during the run of the exhibition.

Fig. 4. Detail of Gold Member

 

Kwynn Johnson is a Visual Artist from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The artist’s studio practice begun in 2002 and to date she has had 10 solo art exhibitions. Johnson has also shown work in numerous local, regional, and international group art exhibitions. Most notable is the Ghetto Biennale in Port au Prince, Haiti, where she has been one of the selected artists on 4 occasions – [2011, 2013, 2015, 2019]. Johnson’s work can be found in permanent art collections such as The National Museum and art Gallery of Trinidad and Tobago, The Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago, and The UWI Seismic Research Centre. Dr Johnson is also a Cultural Studies and Haitian Studies scholar whose work has been featured in several peer-reviewed journal publications, such as the Caribbean Quarterly, and the Journal of Haitian Studies.