SNAFU
Jordan Johnson
curated by Fabiyino Germain-Bajowa
May 31 — June 29, 2025
open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 12-6pm or by appointment
Opening Reception: Friday, May 30th from 7 to 9pm
Artist Talk: Saturday, June 28th at 2pm
/snaˈfo͞o/
(acronym) situation normal, all fucked up
(definition) meaning that the situation is bad, but that this is a normal state of affairs
SNAFU marks Jordan Johnson’s first solo exhibition, comprising a new body of work that brings together colour, texture, and form in ways that feel both familiar and surreal. The title of the exhibition borrows from the military acronym SNAFU—co-opted by internet culture to describe situations that are messy yet manageable— as a metaphor for the beautifully uncertain rhythms of daily life.
Drawing viewers into a non-linear creative process guided by intuition, Johnson’s practice is shaped by the ordinary moments that punctuate our lives—some painful, some joyful, all deeply felt. Each piece begins with a sensation: a colour, a sound, a fleeting emotion. The resulting works mirror life’s unpredictability, ultimately celebrating the beauty of perseverance, and the quiet triumph of seeing something through—no matter the outcome.
Jordan Johnson (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist from Fredericton, New Brunswick, currently based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. A self taught artist, Johnson attended the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design in 2014, and has continued to practice independently since. Raised by artists, Johnson’s practice draws on her identity as a mixed Jamaican woman to engage the motifs of her cultural heritage and childhood. Working primarily in painting and digital media, her vibrant and textured works embody processes of play and draw inspiration from music and nature to connect herself and others with the unguarded emotional landscape of youth.
As a mixed-race Black woman, I’ve had to navigate—and will always be navigating—spaces that don’t fully feel like mine. Over the years, I’ve found grounding in the things I can claim: the music I listen to, the people I choose to invest in, and especially what I create.
Painting, in particular, has been my way of finding peace in feelings of uncertainty. My life hasn’t ever followed a straight path, and this show is a reflection of that—an abstract collection of moments: some painful, some joyful, all real.
The unpredictability of my process is part of what makes it feel so raw. Even when something doesn’t quite land, there’s still meaning in taking the risk, in getting the feelings out. It’s about staying hopeful, seeing it through—and sometimes being surprised by what comes of it.
This show, pulled together a bit on a whim, feels like an honest snapshot of the life I’m living. Messy, beautiful, and fully mine.
Meet the Artist: during gallery hours on Saturdays June 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th
Fabiyino Germain-Bajowa (she/her) is a Nigerian-Canadian writer, curator, and interdisciplinary artist from Thadinadonnih (Guelph) now based in Kjipuktuk (Halifax). With a focus on community-based art, her work often explores Afro-diasporic archives of thought inherited through oral history, food traditions, and acts of care. By centering the lived experiences of Black artists, she engages land-based networks of knowledge to build cultural literacy and uplift contemporary Black artistic practices.
She earned her BFA in Criticism and Curatorial Practice from OCAD University and has curated programs such as Tell the Body (Vtape, Toronto), The Suppa Club (with Temple Marucci-Campbell, Toronto), Down Home (Dalhousie Art Gallery, Halifax), and Blacklight (Art Gallery of Nova Scotia). Currently, she is the TD Fellow Assistant Curator at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.