Erik Johansson

Erik Johansson’s images are created with a camera and refined into absurdity in the computer. With mathematical preciseness Erik Johansson’s photographs depict attractive, compelling landscapes where perspectives are always misleading. His artistry is evident in the sheer realism, no matter how absurd. He captures ideas by combining images in new ways to create what looks like a real photograph, yet with logical inconsistencies to impart an effect of surrealism. Some finished images are the combination of ‘hundreds of original photographs’ as well as raw materials, and Johansson spends dozens of hours using image manipulation software such as Photoshop to alter the image digitally and to illustrate his idea.

The photographer and visual artist Erik Johansson creates surreal worlds through his own unique method. It often takes him months just to create one image, in a process where his photographs are combined so that an original place emerges. The result is often humorous, sometimes even scary, but always mind-blowing. Erik Johansson has become world-famous through his captivating and detailed images. Places Beyond is his second and biggest book so far, presenting his best images in large format. He also reveals the secrets of his method in an inspirational chapter where he explains his creative process. Erik Johansson was born in Sweden and started taking pictures when his parents gave him a digital camera for his 15th birthday. He has lived in Berlin and currently lives in Prague. His pictures have been exhibited all over the world and his latest major exhibition is opening at Fotografiska in Stockholm in December 2019.