Ann Johnson’s You Can’t See is a body of work that examines race, gender, and politics. Like others, she has been affected by current events including the #blacklivesmatter and #sayhername movements. Johnson is especially conscious of the ways in which the stories surrounding these movements are told—she asks, “Is the narrative of the story changing based on stereotypes and assumptions of those who tell the stories or by who and how the narrative is received?”Pieces in You Can’t See observe the deaths of Sandra Bland, gentrification, and immigration. Ann Johnson is interested in the lens in which viewers see her work and explores hard truths, such as the fear that she could lose her life based on how she looks through the lenses of other people. Though a confident black woman, Johnson maintains a type of self-awareness in which she must see herself through the eyes of others for her own protection.Ann Johnson received her undergraduate degree in Home Economics at Prairie View A&M University (TX), where she now teaches. She has also earned an M.A. in Humanities from the University of Houston-Clear Lake, as well as a M.F.A. with a concentration in printmaking from The Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Johnson has been in various solo and group exhibitions. Her work is currently on view at the Art League Houston, where she organized a group exhibition, How Do I Say Her Name, featuring work by nine women artists of color.
