My work uses colorfully patterned objects and maximalist installations to critique state-sanctioned violence in the US. Whether tufted rugs, wallpaper, flocked architectural models, collage or publications, my interdisciplinary practice employs commercial design language to subvert politically charged content. The work is deeply research-based—often incorporating appropriated archival materials—to explore forgotten or intentionally obfuscated histories of institutional violence.
Ideas of “grievability” from Judith Butler’s “Frames of War” is a guiding principle for this research. It explores who is “ungrieveable” in dominant power structures. I am interested in how ideology and consumerism distract some communities from violences deeply felt by others.
Johannah Herr holds an MFA in Sculpture from Cranbrook Academy of Art (2016) and a BFA in Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design (2009). She has had solo shows at The Shirley Fiterman Art Center, Spring Break Art Fair, Geary Contemporary, NADA House Governor’s Island, Elijah Wheat Showroom, BRIC and Envoy Enterprises (all New York City), GAA Gallery (Cologne, Germany), Fjord (Philadelphia, PA), Untitled Art Fair (San Francisco), Red Ger Gallery (Ulaabaatar, Mongolia) and Galeri Metropol (Tallinn, Estonia. She has been featured in group shows at Pioneer Works (Brooklyn, NY), Visual Arts Center of New Jersey (Summit, NJ), Center for Contemporary Art (Warsaw, Poland) and DADAPost (Berlin). She is the recipient of a Fulbright Research Grant (Mongolia) and has attended residencies at the Museum of Arts and Design (New York, NY), Wassaic Project (Wassaic, NY), Alfred University’s Institute of Electronic Arts Experimental Projects Residency (Alfred, NY), Oxbow Artists Residency (Saugatuk, MI), Vermont Studio Center (Johnson, VT), BRIC (Brooklyn, NY), SIM (Reykjavik, Iceland) and the Arctic Circle Residency (Svalbard, International Territory).
Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Curbed, Make Magazine and VICE. She is the co-author of 4 books to date: Domestic Terrorism, The Banana Republican Recipe Book, I Have Seen The Future: Official Guide and White Flight! which are currently sold at Printed Matter, The Hole and Perrotin (all New York City), Exile Books (Miami), and Skylight Books (Los Angeles). She currently teaches at Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute, and New York University. Additionally, she is the Co-Founder of Daughters Rising, an anti-human trafficking, indigenous women’s empowerment NGO based in Mae Wang, Thailand. She lives and works between Brooklyn and Mae Wang.
johannahherr.com
Johannah Herr’s residency is made possible through the 2025 Dual Workspace Residency Program presented by Artists Alliance Inc and Dieu Donné.