Manifestation, from my Graphs series, 2013 90cm x 60cm — — #painting #graph #contemporaryart #contemporarypainting #contemporaryartist #nzart #nzartist #artist #blackandwhite #artgram #artstagram #art #artwork #artcollector #artcollection #artcollecting

A post shared by John G Johnston (@jjprojects) on Sep 25, 2017 at 11:33am PDT

Drone Empire Decoration, 2016 The world has nations threatening each other with total destruction again, so I thought this one was fairly topical. — #painting #contemporaryart #nzart #artgram #art #artwork #drones #trump #artcollection

A post shared by John G Johnston (@jjprojects) on Sep 20, 2017 at 4:25pm PDT

Drone Warfare Decoration, 2015 After seeing the news this morning, this seemed appropriate. The painting could just as well be titled Met with Fire and Fury. – #painting #contemporaryart #nzart #artgram #art #artistsoninstagram #art #artwork #art #drones

A post shared by John Johnston (@jjprojects) on Aug 8, 2017 at 2:25pm PDT

Block Offer, 2017 100cm X 100cm Block Offer is part of my Oil Age series. Annually, New Zealand has been allocating petroleum drilling permits, covering large areas of land and seabed, to oil companies in a tender process called a Block Offer. #painting #contemporaryart #nzart #artgram #artwork #oil #environmental

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Oasis, 2013 – #painting #artgram #contemporaryart #nzart #art #artistsofinstagram

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Five Eyes Network, 2014. During late 2013 to early 2014, when the public debate surrounding spy agencies and digital mass surveillance was in full swing internationally, I made my first paintings on the Five Eyes theme. One of these included an outdoor version of the above painting, installed for a week in December, 2013 on the large telephone pole marking the Takapuna Beach landing point of New Zealand’s only undersea internet data cable. The above painting on canvas (35cm x 135cm) has not been exhibited but remains one of my personal faves. #painting #contemporaryart #nzart

A post shared by John Johnston (@jjprojects) on Jul 4, 2017 at 2:21pm PDT

This painting is Simulations, from my small Graphs series, 2012. None of the Graphs paintings have been exhibited. At the time I'd been looking at different kinds of dramatic graphs, primary graphs to do with climate change and financial boom and bust. Climate change has often been on my mind when it comes to making art, and by 2012 it was only about 4 years since the beginning of the global financial crisis. These graph paintings have been on my mind again lately because of the significant housing bubbles in Australia and New Zealand. This painting, and others in the series, could just a well be simulations of how that all plays out. Some other paintings in the series are: Downfall, Growth, Peak, Crisis, Rise, Manifestation. #painting #contemporaryart #nzart

A post shared by John Johnston (@jjprojects) on Jun 26, 2017 at 3:29pm PDT