Kenyah Johnson
BA Fine Art - Chelsea College of Arts, 2022
Starting out as bible verses, lyrics or even snippets of conversations, Kenyah is able to find inspiration in the mundane and uses these fragments as a means to write poetry. Through this medium, Kenyah looks to explore, dissect and magnify topics/ themes that surround her everyday life. Love, heartbreak, music, God, a leaky pen; nothing is off limits. Anything can - and ultimately, will be explored through these sculptures of poetry.
The words themselves hold value, but the colours and spacing of the poetry feeds into the content. Every line, space, use of punctuation and accidental error is important. It aids to the fluidity and rawness of the experiences she’s trying to convey. No poem looks the same, and that’s because no two people experience events/feelings in the exact same way. If you don’t look too closely, you’d believe these to be sweet, innocent works of art; but the content says otherwise. Kenyah works to build layers within her works to provide a rich, immersive experience.
Blatherskite Blues looks to explore those moments in which one is alone, with just their thoughts as their company; pieces such as My Designer Bags and Layers On Layers On Layers On, look to explore love through the vehicle - or vessel in this case- of the body.
Instagram: @kvnzz
" If my poetry was able to be a catalyst for someone else making something, anything I’d love for that to be a takeaway too."
