Taglialatella Galleries Toronto announces the presentation of a new solo exhibition titled Wordplay by the award-winning artist and designer Ben Johnston. Johnston is a Toronto-based artist who has become internationally recognized in both the art and graphic design communities for his signature ​​style of three-dimensional word art that pops off surfaces.

With his new exhibition Wordplay, Johnston expands on the signature motifs he established with his street art practice, further uncovering the emotive potential of typography. Comprised of six new visually innovative sculptures of thought-provoking phrases, and ten new canvas paintings of single words, this rich body of work is an evolution of the game of decoding that Johnston plays with his viewer. Compositionally complex, a longer observation of each piece is required to reveal the words of significance in the combination of letterforms. These artworks challenge traditional notions of legibility and readability, instead using text as a visual element in its own right. Rendered in soft gradients, hard edges, and playful perspective, these positive affirmations offer a unique meaning to every individual who sets their eyes upon them; what might Hope, Love, or Someday mean to you?

“We are so thrilled with Ben’s new work and his progression as an artist,” says Alan Ganev, Co-Owner of Taglialatella Galleries Toronto. “Johnston is one of Toronto’s most exciting artists right now and it is a joy to see his artistic development with these new sculptures and paintings. Drawing references from the two pillars of text-based art: graffiti and typography, Ben’s work occupies the space between these realms in a fresh way that offers a feeling of optimism. We can’t wait to see how audiences respond to witnessing the evolution of Johnston’s work with Wordplay.”

Bursting onto the street art scene in the 2010s with his trademark mind-bending typography-based murals, Johnston’s work is immediately accessible no matter what language he paints. From Queen West to Yorkville, Johnston’s work can be found in every corner of Toronto, and also around the globe. His designs have been commissioned by Nike, the AGO, Lululemon, Ford, Aston Martin and Adobe among others.

The exhibition will open to the public on March 23rd and will be on display through April 10th. Taglialatella Gallery is located at 99 Yorkville Ave, Toronto, ON M5R 1C1.