ozymandias --- --.. -.-- -- .- -. -.. .. .- ...
joanna rogers
apr 1 - 30 | 2026
craft council of bc
artist statement about the work
Like Shelley’s poem Ozymandias (first published in 1818), my Ozymandias is a meditation on power, tyranny, hubris, the rise and fall of empires and states, and the lasting legacy of art. My piece adds an additional layer by referencing the longevity of Shelley’s still-popular sonnet. I translated the poem into morse code and knitted this code to create my 87’ long Ozymandias, which cryptically documents the political events and upheavals in both the US and Canada as they unfolded during its creation from October 2024 through to December 2025. I dyed the wool with plants from my yard: lobster mushrooms, zinnias, marigolds, St. John’s Wort flowers, Japanese Maple leaves. Knitting conjures up images of comfort and warmth and these associations make the subject matter even more poignant. Ozymandias celebrates knitting as art.
joanna rogers bio
I have always enjoyed finding an oddness in things and strive to give visual voice to the incongruities I encounter, or imagine, as I go about my daily life.
I am grateful to have lived on Pender Island, part of the traditional lands of the Tsawout First Nation, since 1999 and I continue to be inspired by the natural beauty surrounding me.
My practice is driven by my response to the continued and worsening destruction of the natural environment and the effect this degradation has on native species of flora and fauna.
I have shown my work in galleries across Canada and in the US. My work crosses the boundaries of Fine Craft and Fine Art and has been exhibited in both contexts since 1994. I was selected as a finalist for the 2017 and 2021 Salt Spring National Art Prize.
