Autumn Knight Explores Performance, Documentation and Publication as Newest Audain Distinguished Artist in Residence
“I’m imagining an art education and what an artist making performance could ignite in this context,” Autumn says of her residency at the Libby Leshgold Gallery. (Photo by Perrin Grauer)
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The internationally renowned artist will perform at the Libby Leshgold Gallery at 7 pm on Nov. 22 as part of her ongoing residency.
New York-based interdisciplinary artist Autumn Knight is the newest Audain Distinguished Artist in Residence at Libby Leshgold Gallery at Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECU).
Known internationally for her performance works, Autumn is spending the fall engaging with the public and the university community through research, performances and artist talks.
“Autumn’s performances and practices work around group dynamics — she’ll bring something into a room, and then the group has to figure out how to manoeuvre that thing,” says Vanessa Kwan, Director + Curator of Galleries + Exhibitions at ECU.
“There’s something about performance and, in particular, this practice which foregrounds how we have to contend with other people in a room. People spend a lot of time trying to make that process easier or pretending it doesn’t exist. But actually, it’s the only thing there is. There’s no other thing to do. Autumn’s work snaps that into focus.”
From Autumn Knight’s NOTHING#15: a bar, at the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art in 2024. The work “enacts a social experiment that transforms PICA’s warehouse space into a host club, where a multitude of performers take on the task of provoking desire and exchanging acts of care with audience members.” (Photos by Fiorin Ballerini / courtesy Autumn Knight)
Autumn adds that, due to this emphasis, the works themselves are constantly changing.
“The continued study or examination of group dynamics through performance remains interesting because each encounter brings something new,” she says. “The group itself is a new organism, and everything is fresh. Context, geographies and cultural differences are crucial to the development of the group throughout the course of the performance.”
As part of her residency, Autumn is exploring the publication as an extension of her practice, and the translation of performance and documentation into sound recording, text and printed matter. Her impressive exhibition record includes shows at the Whitney Biennial, The New Museum (New York), Akademie der Künste (Berlin), Project Row Houses (Houston) and The Western Front (Vancouver). In recent years, her practice has explored group dynamics and psychologies, placing Black women’s subjectivities, humour and analysis at the centre of commentary on institutions, authority, power and play.
The Audain Distinguished Artist in Residence has been hosted by the Libby Leshgold Gallery and ECU since 2013. The program brings internationally renowned artists to Vancouver to support meaningful exchange with local communities and the creation of new works. Autumn’s residency also includes engagement with the Simon Fraser University community.
A recent appearance in ECU faculty member Sue Shon’s class saw Autumn bring her nuanced approach to a performance that included students from across the university — a dynamic Autumn says is part of her residency’s central focus.
Justine A. Chambers in Autumn Knight’s NOTHING#15: a bed, at the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art in 2024, part of Autumn’s series NOTHING#15: a bar, a bed, a bluff, a three-part investigation into the Italian concept of “dolce far niente,” or “the sweetness of doing nothing.” (Photos by Malique Pye / courtesy Autumn Knight)
“The primary audience is the students,” she says. “I’m imagining an art education and what could potentially be useful for students — what an artist making performance could introduce or ignite in this context.
“In Sue Shon’s class, the exercise was very subtle, and it gradually grew more complex. I think they were receptive to it.”
Bopha Chhay, Associate Curator for Galleries + Exhibitions at ECU, says the performance made an impact on participants.
“As with all the workshops and performances Autumn’s done, her time with the class encouraged groupings, questions and conversations that foregrounded alignments or differences in a unique way,” Bopha says. “I see students in the hallway who are tremendously excited to connect over that experience. I think it was transformative for a lot of them and will continue to resonate for a long time.”
Don’t miss Autumn’s performance of her works, Broad: Say Less and Documents, at the Libby Leshgold Gallery at 7 pm on Friday, Nov. 22. Attendance is free and open to the public.
Visit the Libby Leshgold Gallery online to learn more about their exhibitions and programming.