Johnson uses visual art to tap into these sentiments.Īnd Chicago teenagers are, too, exploring this theme in another project. Adults complain about youth in parks, malls, downtown - wherever. Young people often complain that they don’t have enough spaces to congregate in the city.

“Through their own creative agency, young people of color push back against the politics of racism, exclusion and containment by creating their own ‘free spaces.’ In these spaces they are able to freely express themselves without judgment or sanctions.” “While Belonging’s portraits of young peoples’ experiences paint a grim picture of hierarchy, surveillance, entitlement and narrow mindedness, it is not a tale of defeat,” Johnson says in her artist statement. In “Belonging,” Johnson points to how unwelcome interactions affect how youth think about justice and - and how they interact with authority. The North Side address is a home with front porch furniture and an American flag the South Side address is a boarded-up two-flat. She plays on Chicago’s grid system by photographing places such as 6330 N. Her Folded Map Project, which she introduced in 2018, visually connects the city’s address twins. Johnson’s art has always challenged how we see ourselves in the city. Gallery visits are by appointment only, via email at online exhibit displays compelling photos and audio. Johnson’s exhibit is now on display at the newly renovated Chicago Justice Gallery, 1344 S.

Tonika Johnson Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times

Lisa moore ed rust