This story starts in an open field.

To the South, there is Gore
To the North, there is Moa flat
To the East, there is Tapuaenuku, the Blue Mountains

To the West, there is the Umbrella Mountains.

Above us the open sky,
Below us the earth, a rolling paddock near Waikoikoi.

We were sitting there in an open field, my mother and I

I was two years old
We were sitting there and my mother was drawing
She was drawing the farm sheds.

I was sitting there next to her

In one small moment, when she put down her note book and started to draw on another piece of paper, I decided to pick up a pen when she wasn’t looking, and constructed my first drawing.

Nevermind the fact that this image was boldly and forcefully drawn over the top of one of her own drawings.

This did not phase her
In that moment, I was not punished
I was not told what I had done was wrong.
Instead, with unconditional openness, at an early age, I was encouraged.

Johanna Elizabeth Qiao Tong (previously known as Jo Robertson) is a southern Aotearoa artist originating from Gore.

She grew up in the rural farming world for most of her childhood. Her mother, Vivienne, influenced her at an early age to explore her creativity & this grew to become a strong outlet of expression.

Johanna moved to Dunedin in the early 2000’s. She moved away from art school in 2002 after 3 months and set up her own independent studio practice in various warehouse spaces, but namely at Dowling St Studio’s. Over that time she produced an extensive collection of work. Johanna now resides on the outskirts of Dunedin’s boundaries, at the foot of the Rock & Pillar Range etc.

The foundation of her creative practice is anchored within a desire to explore identity, physical and non-physical experiences, emotions & human life. She also uses this creative outlet as an important tool to cultivate & support a meaningful life, and to come to a clearer understanding about human nature.

Much like how Frida Karlo worked with her own image & life, Johanna often uses her own form as the main narrater & translator, however her work often also stylistically changes, and abstract automatic art making is also part of developing unconscious ideas & capturing emotive moments in time.

She works within a full mixed medium spectrum, from oils, collage, photography, charcoal, pastel, watercolours & pencil.

Her creative practice is also enriched by a unique understanding & experience of the human body from the perspective of Ren Xue & Yuan Qigong of which the application of this knowledge filters into various aspects of her artwork.

She has a Masters certificate in Ren Xue, Level 4 in Tikanga and a Level 4 cert in Museum practice, along with experience in Horticulture, Stonemasonry, farming and restoration.

Recently she has started weaving kete whakairo after a 9 week course with tutor, Marcanui Taura.

Johanna has exhibited widely as an artist over the past 20 years in both public and private galleries, most recently at the Eastern Southland Gallery in Gore with a survey collection titled; “Movement, Stillness, Silence”.