Everyday Sacred
Turner Galleries 14 September - 13 October 2018
Acknowledging the phenomenon in which things become precious simply because of the significance we place upon them, Lia McKnight reflects on this transformational process that we all encounter and create.
In her exhibition, Everyday Sacred, Lia McKnight finds inspiration from the natural world to explore themes of life, death, sex and magic. McKnight’s darkly humorous drawings and sculptures are at once alluring and disarming. They appear like mental maps to a strange and erotic terrain where suppressed desires and fears emerge as eerie dreamscapes. Intrigued by concepts of transformation and the interconnectedness of all things, McKnight’s work speculates on the nature of being by referring to the everyday alchemy of growth and decay.
Drawing upon the inherent qualities of materials and their symbolic potential, her current work extends upon her ongoing interest in the sensual experience of objects. The sourced imagery and collected objects have been found around the bushland and coastline where she regularly walks: places close to her home outside Fremantle.
I photograph natural patterns, strange tree forms, fungi and delicate orchids. Sometimes I take home small findings that sit beside me in my studio. These objects seem to stare back at me, asserting a kind of dignified and humble sacredness.
By combining recognisable objects with the unreal or imagined, McKnight draws out their uncanny and erotic qualities, giving agency to these previously inanimate objects. Her drawings and sculptures are at once beautiful and disturbing. Delicate lines and soft colours transcribe known objects that then exude dark dreamings of speckled spore and translucent seepings.
Full list of works at Turner Galleries
In her exhibition, Everyday Sacred, Lia McKnight finds inspiration from the natural world to explore themes of life, death, sex and magic. McKnight’s darkly humorous drawings and sculptures are at once alluring and disarming. They appear like mental maps to a strange and erotic terrain where suppressed desires and fears emerge as eerie dreamscapes. Intrigued by concepts of transformation and the interconnectedness of all things, McKnight’s work speculates on the nature of being by referring to the everyday alchemy of growth and decay.
Drawing upon the inherent qualities of materials and their symbolic potential, her current work extends upon her ongoing interest in the sensual experience of objects. The sourced imagery and collected objects have been found around the bushland and coastline where she regularly walks: places close to her home outside Fremantle.
I photograph natural patterns, strange tree forms, fungi and delicate orchids. Sometimes I take home small findings that sit beside me in my studio. These objects seem to stare back at me, asserting a kind of dignified and humble sacredness.
By combining recognisable objects with the unreal or imagined, McKnight draws out their uncanny and erotic qualities, giving agency to these previously inanimate objects. Her drawings and sculptures are at once beautiful and disturbing. Delicate lines and soft colours transcribe known objects that then exude dark dreamings of speckled spore and translucent seepings.
Full list of works at Turner Galleries