This is me. Hello, I’m Adrian Johnson - and just for your information, I absolutely loathe doing this kind of thing. Trust me when I say I have just done a bit of sick in my mouth posting this, so Lord only knows what your reaction to this is. Hopefully not puking…
I’m a British artist and illustrator living in Copenhagen. I was born and raised ‘over the water’ from Liverpool (I’m a long-suffering Evertonian, for those interested). My grandfather was from Nigeria - the rest of my family are white British with a dash of Irish. This is not an uncommon heritage in Liverpool - which has a long-established mixed-ethnicity community.
I’ve been practicing as an illustrator since 1997, when I graduated from Kingston University. The world has obviously changed a lot since I started out - there was no internet for starters. Originally all my work was painting on board and collage - I was reliant on motorcycle couriers to deliver my work to the various newspapers and magazines I worked for, which sounds wildly archaic now.
I was fortunate to establish my career in what was, looking back, a ‘golden age’ of illustration and design. That’s not saying things were better back then (they were) but a significant reason for my professional practice’s relative success was the inspiration a generation of creatives living and working in a then-affordable London generated - whether that be the people I worked for, or was lucky enough to share studios with.
After those halcyon 14 years in London, and a 7-year stint in East Sussex, we decided to start a new life in Copenhagen (my wife is half-Danish, so it wasn’t an abstract decision). What was initially supposed to be an adventure was derailed by the still-insanely infuriating vote for Brexit. This forced us to make a choice, and now it’s 8.5 years since we made Copenhagen our home.
The foundation of my practice will always be illustration, but these days I’m primarily focused on making my own art on my own terms. Self-initiated work has always been fundamental to my professional practice, and I’m finding great satisfaction in making solely analogue work, such as for my recent exhibition of paintings in Tokyo.
That’ll do. 🤢
LABORATORIUM (@peder.laboratorium ) is a boutique library music label founded by Danish artist Peder (@pederfromdenmark ). With credits in Breaking Bad, collaborations with The Beastie Boys, and features on Mo Wax Records, Peder's work is the definition of diverse. His six solo albums, film scores, and commercial projects further showcase his talent. LABORATORIUM, meaning Laboratory in Danish, is Peder's space for creative research.
The KLANG series sees Peder & Friends exploring ambient music, crafting every note analogously with real instruments.
I designed the Laboratorium logo and album artwork.
Laboratorium (@peder.laboratorium ) is a new boutique library music label created by Danish artist Peder (@pederfromdenmark ). Peder’s diverse body of work is known for featuring in Breaking Bad, collaborating with The Beastie Boys, and Mo Wax Records. Then there’s his six solo albums and a stack of film-scoring and commercial work.
Laboratorium (Danish for Laboratory) is where Peder goes to “conduct research”.
GLOOMY FAIRYTALES, the first release on Laboratorium, is Peder stepping into familiar waters, tipping a hat to exotica, jazz, and old library music.
Laboratorium logo design and album artwork by me. More to follow…
Earlier in the year I collaborated with @brightgraystudio to create an identity / artwork for a new collection of modular, ‘bold and playful’ carpet tiles for @millikeneurope . ‘Pattern Play’ was selected as winner of the 2025 @clerkenwelldesignweek Product Awards in the carpets and rugs category.
‘Right to be Forgotten’, from 2013 (with some minor colour alterations). I’m pretty sure this was an unused T-shirt design for @howies …
Another old piece of artwork consigned to the dusty old hard drive I’ve recently been sorting through.
