Jess Johnson & Simon Ward

https://www.jessjohnson.org/

Skree Stakka

May 2025

Since 2013, artists Jess Johnson and Simon Ward have been collaborating to create videos, virtual reality, and large-scale immersive installations. Jess’s drawings, done by hand, depict an ever-evolving fictional world that melds alien architecture, technology and flesh. These drawings are transformed into video and virtual reality by Simon, providing audiences the simulated experience of entering the hypnotic realms depicted in Jess’s drawings.

Skree Stakka is part of the May 2025 program MO CAP, curated by Geraldine Erman.

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Additional Websites to Check Out:

JESS JOHNSON

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flesh_dozer/

Artist Website: https://www.jessjohnson.org/

SIMON WARD

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonmward/

Artist Website: https://simonmward.com/

XYZZY Website: https://xyzzy.film/

TERMINUS Website: https://www.jessjohnson.org/terminus

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About the Artists

Their VR-based installation, TERMINUS, has been touring internationally since it was commissioned in 2018 by the National Gallery of Australia. In 2023 Johnson and Ward premiered XYZZY, a 40 minute fulldome movie, currently touring to arts festivals and planetariums worldwide.

Johnson and Ward’s work has been exhibited internationally at Art Basel, Hong Kong; Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh; Centre Clarke, Montreal; Toronto International Film Festival; Hubei Museum of Art, China; National Gallery of Australia; Auckland Art Gallery, New Zealand; Nanzuka Gallery, Japan and Jack Hanley Gallery, New York.

Jess Johnson | Born 1979, Tauranga, New Zealand

lives and works in New Mexico and New Zealand

Simon Ward | Born 1977, Ōpunake, New Zealand

lives and works in New Zealand