JOHANNA

JOHANNA (2022)
by Aluta Null
Shown at Kitcheners Carvery Bar in Johannesburg, South Africa

JOHANNA is a series of glitch art that transforms 90s candid photographs featuring Black women smoking cigarettes and joints. These images, sourced from the depths of the internet, often have murky origins and anonymous photographers, reflecting the elusive nature of much retro media online.

The series is named after Johanna, the caregiver who raised me from infancy through adolescence. Johanna was a heavy smoker — cigarettes were a constant presence in my early memories, shaping my initial understanding of smoking and the feminine energy that I associated with the habit. This personal history influenced the way I see and represent these images, highlighting the rarity of such everyday depictions in media.

Databending (or datamoshing) is a technique I use to corrupt digital images, creating visual distortions or “glitches.” This method—where technology’s rules are intentionally broken—serves as a powerful artistic tool for exploring themes of radicalism, transformation, disruption, and error. For this series, databending acts as a metaphor for the social errors and tensions embedded in these retro images.

JOHANNA was showcased at Kitchener’s Carvery Bar in Braamfontein in October 2022. The setting was a vibrant fit for the work, complemented by an evening of performances from a roster of Johannesburg-based DJs and artists.