Cara Johnson’s craft-based works interrogate tensions and narratives connected to the ways land is treated and used through material, intention and invested labour. Her practice is entwined with her rural location, and primarily concerned with traversing the complexities between people and plants.

In 2016 Cara completed a Bachelor of Fine Art (First Class Hons.) at RMIT University, where she is also a current PhD Candidate. Recent solo exhibitions include Understory at the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Overlay at The Santos Museum of Economic Botany and Semblance of Repair at Gallery Funaki. Cara also exhibits widely in group shows, nationally and internationally, notably Paper Art 2017 at CODA Museum in the Netherlands, Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize 2021 and Schmuck2022 and 2023 in Munich. Cara’s works are held in various public and private collections, including the National Gallery of Victoria.

Overlay considers the correspondence between inflicted damage and subsequent attempted repair. Materials, deliberately collected for their relationships to agriculture and landscape restoration, are reprocessed to create works for contemplating the hope and hopelessness of landscape restoration.