In an effort to create a self-sustaining system, the budget for production was spent entirely on raw firewood. During his short term residency in Vienna, Layet Johnson chopped about a metric tonne of firewood on site. The firewood will be used to heat the stove in the bar room, allowing the gallerists to lower the space’s operating costs during the winter. There will be gatherings, screenings and poetry readings held during this time and firewood being sold to neighbours in a temporary garage-sale style wood shop.
Layet Johnson (1985, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA) lives in New Haven, Connecticut, and is a professor of art at Central Connecticut State University. His recent solo exhibitions include “August September” at The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (2017) and “Is this my tongue?” at Institute 193 in Lexington, Kentucky (2016.) In 2016, he was a muralist in residence at Gallery Protocol in Gainesville, Florida, and was included in the Bandini International Film Festival at Arturo Bandini in Los Angeles, California.
With generous support by the Bundeskanzleramt Austria, the City of Vienna, the 4th municipal District of Vienna and the Central Connecticut State University 2017-2018 Faculty Development Grant Competition Award.
Photography: JKG, courtesy the artist and Pina