New Exhibition at Laing Art Gallery - Nerys Johnson: Disability and Practice

A new exhibition at the Laing Art Gallery will celebrate the life and work of local artist and curator Nerys Johnson (1942-2001).

The exhibition explores Johnson’s lived experience of rheumatoid arthritis and the subsequent impact of disability on her artistic practice. The works on display have been chosen from a large body of Johnson's work, which was donated to the Laing by the Estate of Nerys Johnson in November 2022.

The archive is comprised of thousands of works on paper, including sketchbooks, prints, and watercolours, dating from throughout her artistic career.

Johnson is most well-known for the vibrant and often intense colours in her work combined with dramatic and abstract forms of flowers, often set against dark backdrops. Her work, however, is varied—she uses different media and includes a variety of subjects beyond flowers, notably including self-portraits, abstract nudes, and architectural motifs.

She was also interested in movement and states of change, which began with studies she produced as a student of Fine Art in Newcastle. During this time, she began to actively consider the parallels between human and plant forms, an important theme that extended throughout her life.

Johnson’s 1994 artistic residency in Venice was significant for her as her rheumatoid arthritis worsened, causing her to predominantly work from home. During this residency, Johnson was assisted by artists Joy Batt, Decia Morris, and Susie Balasz, who worked to support Johnson in navigating the city alongside developing their own artistic practices. Johnson humorously referred to this time as ‘Three Lady Artists and a Wheelchair,’ revealing the joy and community they all found during this time.

As part of the exhibition, the Laing Art Gallery has commissioned Surface Area Dance Theatre, a live performance organisation that works at the interface between sign language, D/deaf culture, and dance, to develop and produce a performance to camera in response to the Nerys Johnson archive, titled Down Amongst the Plants.

Down Amongst the Plants pays tribute to Johnson’s engagement with the rhythms of nature through Butoh, a form of Japanese dance. The choreographer of the performance, Vangeline, is the artistic director of the internationally acclaimed New York Butoh Institute, based in New York, USA.

Julie Milne, Chief Curator of Art Galleries for North East Museums, says: “I have long been an admirer of Nerys Johnson’s work. Her jewel-like watercolours of plants are particularly fine and have the clarity and vibrancy of stained-glass windows. 

“It is especially pleasing to see her work on display at the Laing Art Gallery, given her talent and the quality of her work, both as an artist who worked for many years in the North East and was formerly Keeper of Fine Art at the Gallery. 

“The exhibition has been brought together by Rachel Boyd, a collaborative PhD student at Northumbria University, and the Laing Art Gallery’s Assistant Keeper Amy Pargeter. Alongside the exhibition, they have commissioned Surface Area Dance Theatre and internationally acclaimed choreographer Vangeline to shed new light on Nerys’ practice.

“This exhibition is bringing Nerys’ work to a whole new audience, who I am sure will enjoy the work of this wonderful but underappreciated artist.”

Johnson was not only an artist, but also a curator. Her curatorial career began at the Laing Art Gallery in 1968, when she took up the post as a Keeper of Fine Art. She eventually became the Keeper in Charge of the Durham Light Infantry Museum and Arts Centre (DLI) in 1970. During this time, the museum’s Contemporary Art Centre became a regional hub for art, attracting internationally acclaimed artists like Bridget Riley and Henry Moore.

Nerys Johnson: Disability and Practice celebrates the richness of Johnson’s life and work and explores how her individual artistic practice flourished with the support of her vast social network. The exhibition opens on Saturday 21 December. Free entry, donations welcome.

Image: Hedge Rose Hips & Maysii on Blue & Black by Nerys Johnson (2000). Laing Art Gallery