Researching - Erik Johansson. (Manipulated Images)

Only twenty five, Erik Johansson, a computer engineering student from Sweden produces heavily manipulated photographs inspired by surreal artists such as 'MC Escher'. He has taken a masters in interactive design and has already been offered work from design magazines after he published his work on his website. 

He relies heavily on Photoshop and is not ashamed of this. He enjoys the fact that it is "somehow different from other kinds of art." In his own words he has taken photographs all his life and his work can be very humerous or quite serious and political. His photographs, although surreal are very realistic. This is what creates the shock value. The way that he works is first to have an idea which he then realises.

Photography for him is a means to an end. The real work is created on the computer. It can take him between a week and a month to finalize a piece of his work. Sometimes he will use himself in the photos but prefers to sue family and friends. Photography is often thought of as denoting realism but Eriks work takes realism and subverts it into the fantastic.

Hang Havet Pa Vaggen - Erik Johansson

This is a photo of a lady positioning a picture of a harbour full of boats on a wall. In so doing it appears that she has altered the balance and that the water is draining out of the picture onto the floor. These images were located on his blog and quickly gained a following. They are very evocative of the style of the surrealist painters such as 'Salvador Dali' and others. His body of work reminds me a little bit of the unreality of dreams and/or nightmares. This particular one is amusing and invites the viewer to share the joke.

Utan Granser - Erik Johansson

This photo shows a man ascending a spiral staircase set at the end of a road within a bland landscape and in sepia. It brings many different thoughts to a viewers mind such as 'Is this a modern Jack and the Bean stalk?' or maybe 'The staircase to heaven.' The staircase is so incongruous that it opens up a whole world of possibilites.

Go your own Road - Erik Johansson

In this picture a young man is walking towards the viewer and seemingly dragging the road behind him. The idea is extremely bizarre but also comical. He almost looks like a bride trailing her train behind her. On a deeper level it could refer to the road you take in life and that you make your own way in life.

The reason I like Erik Johanssons work is that they are startling and imaginative. They are a little like the Rorschach Inkblot test in that you look at the picture and devise your own story line. I like the fact that some are purely comical whilst others are thought provoking. Some of the other pictures on his website remind me of the film Inception which is about a dreamworld.