Momentum Spotlight: Alexandra Knox

Alexandra Knox, test garlic pouches, organza & garlic skins

Featuring young artists ages 30 and younger working in all media in Oklahoma, Momentum OKC opens March 4 & 5.  Three artists were selected as Spotlight artists to develop in-depth projects, Sarah Engel, Alexandra Knox, and JP Morrison.  The artists, who were chosen from proposals, each receive an honorarium of $1,750 and several months of interaction with the curators. This year’s curators are Clint Stone and Erinn Gavaghan.

Alexandra Knox, Norman

Alexandra Knox working in her studio

Project Concept: The Scent in Which She Lingers

 “This piece is a way to immortalize my Ukrainian grandmother, who passed away in 2007.  A medicinal remedy she practiced was to eat a clove of raw garlic every day to clear her arteries. Through her legacy, her superstitions have trickled down to make an impact on my life, specifically through different foods.  The property of multiples, as well as the absence of the garlic clove, caters to the idea of this daily routine.  The strong connection I have experienced since her death is expressed through the physical interaction of the pouches as well as the persistent smell throughout the space,” Knox stated in her proposal.

Artist:

Knox has exhibited at galleries widely, showing with groups in Pedvale, Latvia, Pirkkala, Finland, and Greenville, NC. Her work was just featured at the Emergent Artist Exhibition at Mainsite Contemporary Art in Norman, OK. An MFA sculpture candidate at the University of Oklahoma, Knox received her BFA in sculpture from East Carolina University. 

Alexandra Knox, There Will Always Be Five,
Iron, Aluminum, Muslin, Copper, 36x18x5" 2008

Elements:

At least 500 silk organza pouches filled with garlic skins will lined the ceiling of a small room in which a looped video will play.  The room will be approximately 12’x8’.

Challenges:

“Will the smell of garlic stay in the display space as visitors come and go?” curators wondered. Also, Knox must control the lighting within the space to make sure the video is visible and projects across the pouches effectively. 

Momentum OKC 2011 will open March 4 and 5 at the Farmer’s Public Market. Visit www.MomentumOklahoma.org for more information. Read more about the Spotlight artists in the forthcoming issue of Art Focus Oklahoma that will be posted online on March 1.