Simen Johan Lecture 10/15

The one thing that I meant to ask him and completely forgot was: "What was your childhood like?"

Although his animal portraits are interesting, I have never been much of an animal person, so his child portraits are the ones that really intrigue me. I'm especially curious what his parents were like when he was growing up, and if he had any siblings. His use of ritualistic behaviors make me think of the "child's" constant search for an answer. Not just any answer, but one very specific to the needs of that child. The objects used in the rituals are probably clues to the question needing an answer. I see the girls that made the fort pile of dolls as girls struggling with issues of self identity, more specifically femininity issues.

It is also interesting that animals and bugs often "infest" the images. Most often they are pests that appear to be destroying the things that have been built or created. My question, as it usually is when thoroughly exploring someone's work, is what answer Simen Johan is trying to answer through his work.