Amelia Johnson (b.1999 in Kent) is an emerging British artist undertaking a Fine Art BA in Central Saint Martins. Johnson primarily focuses upon the use of papier-mâché and paper clay to sculpt colourful and comical characters.
Paper clay is an invaluable resource in Johnson’s practise and, alongside papier-mâché, forms the central facet of Johnson’s sculptures. Her pieces are later completed with a colourful array of acrylic paints, with focus upon colour clashes and patterns, to further feed into the comic aspects of the works.
Through a lens of humour Johnson addresses social issues such as gender, politics, female empowerment, and sexuality in a light-hearted manner that detracts from the intensity of the stigma surrounding the topics. She straddles the line between comedy and tragedy, with the relationship between the two oppositional concepts becoming the primary motif of her work. Her work has been nominated for multiple awards, including Portrait of George Chapman: A 100 Year Collaboration (2020) which is now in the Central Saint Martins Private Collection and exhibited her piece The Snog at the POW! Thanet Festival 2021.
