Johannes Heldén / After the Rain
Curated by Johanna Holmström
19 September 2020 - 3 January 2021
Varbergs Konsthall
Engelbrektsgatan 7
Varberg, Sweden
Photography by Hanna Eliasson and Johannes Heldén
Astrobiology, evolution and space travel. In autumn 2020, Varbergs konsthall presents a solo exhibition by the artist and author Johannes Heldén (b 1978). The exhibition After the rain comprises works in various artistic media such as video, installation, watercolour, photography and text.
In Heldén’s art and poetry, we embark on a journey through space and time. His visionary works depict various scenarios, from the near future to hundreds of thousands of years ahead. Life on Earth has changed. Humanity is absent and is noticeable only in the artefacts that has been left behind and the impact of mankinds activities on nature and the surroundings. Commonplace details and objects seem familiar but have undergone transformation. Certain species of flora and fauna have disappeared or mutated into life forms with characteristics adapted to a changed climate. The new conditions have generated hybrids of animals, nature and technology, and civilisations have been covered with vegetation.
Heldén’s artistic practice poses questions about our existence and our place in the universe. In the midst of dystopia and ecological disaster, hope and curiosity also exist. Where has humanity gone? Perhaps they have travelled into outer space in a quest for life and another inhabitable planet. In Heldén’s works, distances and time perspectives are on an endless scale. Our actions here and now have consequences in both the near and distant future.