Mariane Ibrahim is pleased to announce the representation of Leasho Johnson.
A painter, draftsman, and sculptor, Johnson merges hand-crafted pigments, charcoal, and stenciling to produce dynamic compositions that move fluidly between abstraction and figuration. Drawing from Jamaican mythology—particularly the figure of Anansi, the shapeshifting trickster of West African and Caribbean folklore—Johnson employs humor to illuminate more layered concerns. Charged with sensual intensity, his artwork challenges conventional representation, opening space for forms of being that resist fixed or predetermined definitions.
Born and raised in Jamaica, Johnson is now living and working in Chicago, where he earned his MFA from the School of the Art Institute. His large-scale diptych, Perplexity of the consumed (Anansi # 38), 2026, is installed at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago as part of Dancing the Revolution: From Dancehall to Reggaetón, on view through September 2026. I am a place as much as I am a flavour, Johnson’s second solo exhibition with Mariane Ibrahim, will open in Paris this June.
"I am grateful for coming this far, having so much support and community here in Chicago. Every new step feels like a new beginning. Working hand in hand with Mariane and her team is proof of a special alignment. Being in the right place, the right time, and having the right people in your corner. I am honored to have this partnership and support moving forward." – Leasho Johnson
Johnson’s 2024 exhibition, Escaping the tyranny of meaning, at Mariane Ibrahim Chicago, marked a pivotal moment in his practice: the development of a visual language in which abstraction and figuration collide, giving rise to hybrid, anthropomorphic forms that inhabit ambiguous, charged spaces. Working with self-produced pigments—such as distemper made from rabbit skin glue, fabric dye, and raw materials—he created surfaces of striking depth, where velvety blacks are punctuated by flashes of gold. Through this material and conceptual approach, Johnson invoked fugitivity as a framework, resisting the historical, political, and biological constraints imposed on Black queer existence while opening speculative space for diasporic futurities.
A painter, draftsman, and sculptor, Johnson merges hand-crafted pigments, charcoal, and stenciling to produce dynamic compositions that move fluidly between abstraction and figuration. Drawing from Jamaican mythology—particularly the figure of Anansi, the shapeshifting trickster of West African and Caribbean folklore—Johnson employs humor to illuminate more layered concerns. Charged with sensual intensity, his artwork challenges conventional representation, opening space for forms of being that resist fixed or predetermined definitions.
Born and raised in Jamaica, Johnson is now living and working in Chicago, where he earned his MFA from the School of the Art Institute. His large-scale diptych, Perplexity of the consumed (Anansi # 38), 2026, is installed at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago as part of Dancing the Revolution: From Dancehall to Reggaetón, on view through September 2026. I am a place as much as I am a flavour, Johnson’s second solo exhibition with Mariane Ibrahim, will open in Paris this June.
"I am grateful for coming this far, having so much support and community here in Chicago. Every new step feels like a new beginning. Working hand in hand with Mariane and her team is proof of a special alignment. Being in the right place, the right time, and having the right people in your corner. I am honored to have this partnership and support moving forward." – Leasho Johnson
Johnson’s 2024 exhibition, Escaping the tyranny of meaning, at Mariane Ibrahim Chicago, marked a pivotal moment in his practice: the development of a visual language in which abstraction and figuration collide, giving rise to hybrid, anthropomorphic forms that inhabit ambiguous, charged spaces. Working with self-produced pigments—such as distemper made from rabbit skin glue, fabric dye, and raw materials—he created surfaces of striking depth, where velvety blacks are punctuated by flashes of gold. Through this material and conceptual approach, Johnson invoked fugitivity as a framework, resisting the historical, political, and biological constraints imposed on Black queer existence while opening speculative space for diasporic futurities.
"Leasho Johnson’s practice is on the move. The superposition of materials and the layering of cultural complexity drawn from his heritage evoke infinite possibility. His art invites us to rethink our perception of seeing. Between fragments, a scene erupts — at first all movement, and suddenly you are immersed in a swirl of rhythm. What is left for the viewer is to simply accept the invitation. We are proud to continue this journey with Leasho that began a few years ago." - Mariane Ibrahim
April 24, 2026
