Laura Johansen

Artist Statement

These are about the colorful lies we tell ourselves about America. Like a game of telephone, the myth making gets repeated and forms a sort of hard, rigid shell or crust. The shell protects to a degree, but can also be seen as a confinement or limitation. These photographs were made by layering American cultural objects with sprinkles. I sourced them from overseas, and they are made with petroleum-derived paraffin, bright artificial colors, and sugar.