Johanna Went

“Set against a background of very loud noise/rhythm, Johanna's show is more a furiously energetic trance-state than the performance of a rational being. Then again, this is not real time – a slow-motion drug would be needed to comprehend alll the images, symbols, details, and gestures crammed into the 15 or 20 minutes of a Johanna Went show. Definitely not for the cleanliness-and-order set, this is sheer fun and black humor masquerading as modern art…” V. Vale

Johanna Went

“I love violence in movies. I like that safe atmosphere where I can sit there and watch violence – I like the color, I like things exploding, and I like fires, I like blood, I like guts. Sometimes it's so ridiculous I can't believe people look away from it! But personally, I prefer not to be in violent situations.” Johanna Went

“First of all, I hate anybody telling me anything; I hate getting messages, through art, films, all that stuff – I don't think that anybody needs to tell me anything. And I'm not going to tell anybody – I'm not trying to make anybody feel anything or think anything. But… I think that my shows affect people on a real gut level… for reasons other than guts! To me, the things that people probably  think are the most sensational about myself are things that I really think are kind of fluff, things to entertain me, that I like to play or be silly with. But I really don't think that people should be shocked by these things.” Johanna Went


Johanna Went – Live at UCLA (Studio One, 1982)

Johanna Went – No legs
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Excerpts and photo taken from the great Industrial Culture Handbook.