Looking into an African mirror. Johnson Weree’s mannequins

Out of Art, 14, dec.2012, pp. 4-7.

Johnson Weree (1970) is a refugee from Liberia who has been living in the Netherlands for many years. Not being allowed paid employment, he spends up to eleven hours a day in the public library, drawing faces he has seen before. His portraits are busts of sombre-looking men and women whose multi-layered faces form a strong contrast with their hard, flat bodies. They seem to bring together Weree’s own past, present and future. His colourful memories of life in Africa, his current predicament as a refugee and his lifelong dream of starting all over as a fashion designer.
Author: Frans Smolders

www.collectiedestadshof.nl/artists/weree-johnson/

www.out-of-art.nl