Jess Johnson was born in Aotearoa/New Zealand in 1979, and lives and works in New York. Her drawing and installation practice is influenced by science fiction, language, culture and technology. In her drawings she depicts complex worlds that combine densely layered patterns, objects and figures within architectural settings. Johnson’s drawings are often displayed within constructed environments that act as physical portals into her speculative worlds. Her video collaborations with Simon Ward have involved translating her drawings into animated Virtual Reality, thus enabling her audience to have the simulated experience of entering the hypnotic realms depicted in her drawings. Jess Johnson’s work has been exhibited Internationally in solo exhibitions at; Jack Hanley Gallery, New York; Art Basel, Hong Kong; Nanzuka Gallery, Tokyo; Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh; National Gallery of Australia; Museum of Contemporary Art, Australia; Auckland Art Gallery and Christchurch Art Gallery, New Zealand.