Simen Johan

Born in Norway and now based in New York, Simen Johan first garnered critical attention with his photographic tableaux of a darker side of childhood. His portraits of children in disquieting settings do not convey specific likenesses but rather construct an alternate vision of childhood in general. Indeed, Johan remarks: "In these images, children are in control, not victims, engaged in fantasy and ritual that shut out the adult world. I think of them as metaphors for the creative process."

Johan studied photography at Lugnetskolan, Falun, Sweden and the School of Visual Arts, New York.