UNCOMFORTABLY HUMAN
(2025)
Johanna olivia
Description
Presented in connection with World Mental Health Day, Uncomfortably Human is both art and act of solidarity, a reminder that shared vulnerability can become a force for healing and collective hope. The artwork created during the performance will be auctioned, with all proceeds donated to Suicide Zero.
In this iconic performance, Johanna Olivia exposes her private creative process to a live audience. Rooted in the tradition of artists who dared discomfort, she pushes painting beyond craft, into a ritual of courage, vulnerability, and endurance.
Seating is limited—please arrive early to secure your place.
We look forward to sharing this powerful evening with you.
Artist Statement
Johanna Olivia paints the way most people are afraid to feel. Her artistic practice is rooted in her fascination with emotion, movement, and expression. Born in the 1990s on a Swedish archipelago island, she lived in the Netherlands for twelve years before returning to Stockholm.
Her work is centred on letting go. Paint, canvas, and usually loud music. No sketching or planning. Just instinct and whatever appears. After studying design in Utrecht, she committed fully to her own artistic path. Art became a place where expectations dissolve, and she can exist as she is: messy, unpredictable, fully present.
Her live painting performances transform this private ritual into a shared experience. She has exhibited in Sweden and internationally. If her work inspires someone to stop hiding their emotions, she's achieved her goal.
Date
Artists
Johanna olivia
About
UNCOMFORTABLY HUMAN IS A PERFORMANCE EXPLORING COURAGE, VULNERABILITY, AND THE DISCOMFORT WE OFTEN AVOID. ALIGNED WITH WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY, THE PERFORMANCE UNDERSCORES THE IMPORTANCE OF FACING INTERNAL STRUGGLES AND DEMONSTRATES HOW SHARED VULNERABILITY CAN FOSTER EMPATHY, HEALING, AND COLLECTIVE HOPE. THE RESULTING ARTWORK WILL BE AUCTIONED TO SUPPORT SUICIDE ZERO (HTTPS://SUICIDEZERO.SE).
Credits
In memory of Lydeke Bosch. Thank you Konstantinos Kalogiannis, Kerstin Åkesson, Joakim Lundberg, Danny Stacey, Thom Mattsson and Daniel Daboczy