Winnipeg photographer (and VoCA favorite) Sarah Anne Johnson is the winner of the inaugural Grange Prize for Contemporary Photography.

The annual $50,000 prize is the largest of its kind in Canada and the only prize entirely determined by the public. The AGO will present an exhibition of Johnson’s work in the spring of 2009.

Sarah Anne Johnson, Clearing the Yard, 2005. Image: bulgergallery.com

Sarah Anne Johnson, Dead Pig, 2005. Image: bulgergallery.com

Johnson’s work explores the use of physical labour in the search for utopia. Her images are a mixture of real and imagined worlds with documentary style photos placed alongside photographs of small theatrical sets she creates. Inspired by her tree planting experience in British Columbia and travels in the Galapagos Islands, Johnson’s photographs reflect her connection to nature and her personal struggle to find a balance between community and landscape.

Sarah Anne Johnson, The House, 2005. Image: bulgergallery.com

Her exhibition last year at Toronto’s Stephen Bulger Gallery included a fantastic sculpture called The House that added a wonderful dimension to the photographs. It was example of a young artist thoroughly working through an idea.

Sarah Anne Johnson, The House (detail), 2005. Image: bulgergallery.com

Launched in February 2007, the Grange Prize is Canada’s newest and possibly best art prize.

It recognizes the best in Canadian and international contemporary photography. The winner is selected from a combination of five Canadian and international artists.

This year, a jury comprised of representatives from the AGO and Aeroplan selected three Chinese artists: Miao Xiaochun, Huang Yan and Liu Zheng and two Canadian artists: Raymonde April and Johnson.

Best of all, each artist gets to participate in a residency program travelling to each other’s country to experience the culture and contemporary art scene.

About Sarah Anne Johnson:

Born in 1976 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Johnson received her BFA from the University of Manitoba in 2002, and went on to complete her MFA at Yale School of Art in 2004. Her work has been exhibited in a number of solo and group exhibitions in Canada and the United States, and she is the recipient of numerous scholarships and awards. Her first solo show in New York City opened in February of 2005 and garnered excellent reviews from The New York Times, The Village Voice, and Art Forum magazine. She currently resides in Winnipeg.