Sylvie Johnson

Paris-based Sylvie Johnson is an artist and weaver. Her work layers themes of nature, the perception of light and shadow, an exploration of art history, architecture, movement, and the mastery of material composition. 

Art, for Johnson, is linked to emotions. In the act and experience of art, there is a dialogue between objects, self, and space—between any elements that are alive—that creates movement. This is why nature, to Johnson, is the first art. It is in perpetual movement and has inspired humans from the beginning.

For this reason, shadow has inspired Johnson’s work for decades as the intersection of nature, emotion, and dimensionality. To Johnson, shadow is the element that brings textiles to life.

In 2017, Johnson joined Merida Studio for a 9-year artist residency, expanding the concept of weaving textile art while creating the Atelier series. Studying the effects of hue, relief, and shadow with a focus on yarn, Johnson’s work experiments with the mixing of textural yarn palettes to layer experience and memory into impressionistic pieces. In this, Johnson works with Merida Studio’s curated team of talented designers and master craftsmen to create annual works for the Atelier series, a fusion of individual brilliance and collective creativity.

With the vision of Sylvie Johnson, each of the studio’s skills as craftsmen, artists, and designers are woven together to create one-of-a-kind works of living art. The collaboration draws its inspiration from the art and culture that link them to the long and rich history of textiles and art, allowing them to continue the ancient conversation in a contemporary way. In the Atelier series, each limited-edition piece beckons participation and requires your experience to be complete.