Resting Area

Two figures sit close, hands raised and folded behind their heads. It's a small gesture, but think about when we actually make it: only in moments of real ease, when we feel safe enough to stop guarding ourselves. Here, that safety comes from the other person. The simple fact of not being alone.

This is the human figure as I use it — simplified, flattened, the proportions carrying feeling rather than likeness. Two people giving each other permission to rest. The deep black shapes hold a stillness I wanted you to be able to sit inside.

It leaves the rest open. What are they to each other? That's yours to bring.

From the series Human, number 9. A graphic work, 75 × 60 cm, in a limited edition of 30. Signed.

Jolanta Johnsson