Johanna Adojaan bio

Johanna Adojaan was born in 1996 in Tartu, Estonia. She holds a bachelor's and master's degree cum laude in Fine Art Photography from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp.

Her first major artistic endeavour was an extensive study of bearded men in high school in 2015, which resulted in an exhibition of ten portraits and ten essays depicting various bearded men from her hometown, as well as an analytical essay on the concept of beards - for example, the psychology and reasons behind them. It was described as outstanding by the school.

In 2016, Johanna moved to Belgium to study Fine Art Photography at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. During these five years, she participated in numerous group exhibitions in Antwerp, was selected as the youngest participant for the International Talent Programme of the largest photography festival in the Benelux, BredaPhoto 2018, and completed an influential internship at the Japanese photography gallery Ibasho. 

Her undergraduate project, Homo Animalis, was a biosemiotic exploration of the similarities and differences between the signals used by animals and humans, and the notion of abstract thought that humans have developed.

In 2019, she spent the first semester of her master's degree on an exchange programme at the Academy of Fine Arts in Guangzhou, China. She participated in a group exhibition at the Academy with an experimental card game, Sample Text Here, inspired by her local experience, which was praised for its distinctive approach. She also contributed a print to an art auction held by Gallery 2522.

Inspired by the local beliefs, she began work on her Master's project Field Notes on Fleeting Luck, a more specific take on the abstract world of thought previously explored in the Homo Animalis project, but this time focusing on the notion of luck.

Johanna is currently back in Estonia working as a freelance copywriter, photographer, graphic designer, illustrator, second-hand treasure dealer and a ceramic artist. She is definitely gathering inspiration for future photography projects.

You can find her CV here.

You can either use this form or contact Johanna directly: 

EST +372 590 188 35 

johanna@adojaan.net

Using Format