Artist Michael Johansson’s Work, A Unique Spin on Public Art

Swedish artist Michael Johansson has a real knack for organizing objects. But it isn’t that he keeps a tidy home. Rather, Johansson takes his skills to the streets, arranging colorful and rectangular found objects into large mosaic pieces.

This piece, entitled “Recollecting Koganecho” is demonstrative of Johansson’s affinity for color and his interesting ability to assemble seemingly random household items in a seamless and tasteful fashion. His work also gives three-dimensional objects a flattened, two-dimensional quality. This flattening enables his pieces to blend with surrounding architectural spaces.

The artist is attracted to objects that he finds at flea markets: “I take used objects because they kind of lived a life before I find them. By combining them I almost create a fake history that never happened.” He compares his work to “real-life Tetris.”

While you can find this artist’s work in galleries and museums, you can also find it inconspicuously nestled in city streets and industrial spaces. Be on the lookout!

Text: Nicola Parisi
Source: Michael Johansson