October 2-26, 2024



An Island To Swim To invites viewers to explore the waters of personal and collective experience. Each of us navigates our own currents—carrying both grief and gratitude in delicate balance.

This exhibition speaks to the inherent challenge and beauty of our emotional landscapes, where increasingly we find ourselves leaking or "spilling over” in both private and public spaces.

The paintings in this series serve as markers—inviting places of respite in the midst of every day life. They exist to encourage an unfiltered exploration of emotion, a rare opportunity to confront what often remains hidden. Here, vulnerability is not only welcomed but celebrated. It takes courage to explore and allow emotions to surface, knowing that the experience may lead to pain; yet, within that experience lies profound connection and understanding.

Let the paintings be the islands. Allow the colours, forms, and textures to resonate and grant quiet permission to feel freely for a while.
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Johanna Reynolds is an abstract painter, known for her love of materials and the resonance of colour. Her gestural paintings exist at the intersection of landscape and emotion, reflecting a profound respect for the natural world. Through her art, Reynolds envisions a beautiful re-imagining of human interaction with earthly realms and aims to support the interplay between nature and the self. Her work hints at familiarity while often remaining open-ended, inviting viewers to engage their imaginations and complete the narrative.

Reynolds' career is marked by significant milestones, including a solo exhibition in 2018 with Nordic Stories Contemporary Art in Sweden. Notably, four of her large works, collectively titled Passages, were acquired by Air Canada for their permanent collection and are currently displayed at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

Johanna studied Art History and Studio Arts at Concordia University in Montreal. Her work has gained international recognition, found in both private and corporate collections. She lives and works in Toronto, Canada.

For details please email: info@samaracontemporary.com