Atti Johansson 1917-2003

Atti Johansson was born in Kiruna, Sweden.

Spent the majority of her life and died in Sollefteå, Sweden.

Her artistic practice was profoundly informed by the major socio-political and technological developments of the twentieth century, including the advent of computer technology, environmental degradation, nuclear energy, the peace movement, and the ongoing struggle for gender equality.

From 1954 to 1958, Johansson divided her time between family life in Sollefteå and formal studies at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. Around 1967, she began developing a series of assemblages entitled Mekanisk/Organisk (Mechanical/Organic), which examined the dialectical relationship between technology and the human body—specifically, the interplay between hard and soft materials, and the interface between artificial and organic systems. These works formed the basis for several public commissions, most notably a 65-metre-long wall installation entitled Ska tekniken ta makten? Ska datorerna styra oss? (Will Technology Take Power? Will the Computers Control Us?) in Umeå 1968–1972.

A consistent thread running throughout Johansson’s oeuvre is the exploration of polarities—illusion and reality, the synthetic and the natural, destruction and creation. Her work constitutes a sustained critical engagement with contemporaneous societal conditions, approached with both intellectual rigour and ethical clarity.

In the context of the present-day climate crisis and the accelerating digital transformation of society, Johansson’s artistic legacy acquires renewed urgency and relevance.

– Lina Aastrup

Atti's work is represented in the collections of Moderna Museet and Skissernas museum in Lund, Sundsvalls museum, Uppsala konstmuseum, Sollefteå kommun, Region Västernorrland, Västernorrlands museum, Helge Lindenssamling/Västerbottens museum, Jämtlands läns museum, Östergötlands museum, Museum Anna Nordlander, Statens konstråd and many more.

The last major exhibition with Atti was at Västernorrlands museum in 2024 and she will be shown at Havremagasinet konsthall and Belenius in 2025.