HOWARD B. JOHNSON, JR. | HUDSON, MASSACHUSETTS
My submission to DELIRIUM is inspired Tura Satana [1938-2011] and the Main Cast of Faster Pussycat Kill-Kill [1965 Russ Myers Film] depicted as a Sumerian Triple Goddess.
Tura Satana is considered a feminist icon for her powerful, confident roles in cult films, particularly as Varla in Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, where she played a strong, independent woman who challenges patriarchal norms.
Her blend of beauty, toughness, and charisma, combined with her ability to portray women taking charge of their own lives and even engaging in violence to do so, made her a symbol of female empowerment rather than a submissive male dependent in genre cinema.
Interestingly, Edgar Allen Poe had a fascination with Ancient Babylon and in his poem City By The Sea used it to represent excessive materialism and sensuality.
My main focus is an imaginary world view; a darkly humorous amalgam of mythic images re-interpreted as Pop Culture. Animation becomes a form of primitiveness representing the lifestyle of a era. Periods of time and historical events are blended to occur simultaneously. An element of intended goofiness, whimsy and wit runs throughout the image subject. Content is influenced by the Surrealist Era, Medieval Art, Esoteric Alchemical Works Mughal and Bardo Paintings also contemporaries such as Jim Nutt, Peter Saul, George Condo, Philip Guston and others of that genre.
Each facet of the work becomes a center of interest; all equally rendered so as there are no lax spots in the finished piece.
Tura Satana In Babylon 2025, 18 x 24 x 75 in., pastel paper, hard stick medium, ink, neo-color crayons, mounted on Ampersand staged board, acrylic sealed
$2,500
"This HBJ piece is a vital contribution to Delirium for its incisive fusion of feminist iconography, mythic symbolism, and dark humor. By reimagining Tura Satana and the cast of Faster, Pussycat!
Kill! Kill! as a Sumerian Triple Goddess, Howard's work collapses time and culture into a delirious tableau that challenges patriarchal archetypes and celebrates the subversive power of women who embody both ferocity and wit. Its densely layered composition-drawing from Surrealism, Medieval and Mughal art, alchemy, and Pop aesthetics-embodies the exhibition's theme of psychological complexity and mythic absurdity. The result is a visual delirium that invites viewers to question so many societal constructs while reveling in his audacious beauty of chaos.
If you are jut discovering Howard B. Johnson Jr., he is a revered outsider visionary artist known for his raw, unfiltered imagination that has long captivated audiences. His early recognition began in New York's avant-garde circles to his celebrated solo exhibition, "Phantastrophies" at the Fitchburg Art Museum a few years ago. Howard's work embodies such a unique and unrestrained creative force that bridges an array of mythical, historical and the futuristic elements with the surreal, making him an essential voice within DELIRIUM and a testament to the enduring power of outsider art to challenge conventions and illuminate our imaginations." - Juniper Rag
