




Helen Johnson
Arseholes, 2020
Acrylic on canvas
45.7 x 61 cm
18 x 24 in
18 x 24 in
Copyright The Artist
Further images
This painting can be read in two different ways: it can be a field of flowers, or an array of arseholes arranged in accordance with a classic corporate hierarchy. On...
This painting can be read in two different ways: it can be a field of flowers, or an array of arseholes arranged in accordance with a classic corporate hierarchy. On another register, two hands reach into the pictorial space from the edges, referencing the manicule, the small symbol of a hand that originated in the medieval period as a way to point out a mistake or something of note in a manuscript. If one gazes at the surface a little longer one can see two figures sucking at the teat as above them a cartoon figure clutches bags, chattels as his companions look jealously on. A selection of corporate wish-fulfilment statements have been scored into the textured surface: 'I am most fulfilled in my work when I have been able to integrate and manage the efforts of others; Security and stability are more important to me than freedom and autonomy; I dream of being in charge of a complex organization and making decisions that affect many people.' These were taken from a training module that Johnson was compelled to undertake as part of her teaching work.