SAM KNOWLES

Next Artist......

Sam Knowles, recent graduate from Wimbledon College of Art, has already become a face to watch. Since graduating his work has been shown at Crisp, Future Map 2009, MK Fringe Prize and has now been shortlisted for New Contemporaries 2010.

Knowles' practice centres round the systems and structures that inform our understanding of the world. He is a prolific reader of philosophy, art and scientific texts and many of the theories within provoked him to question the attainment of knowledge, how so much knowledge becomes obsolete the moment it is broadcast and more importantly how intellectual discourses are eulogised when actually the creator of them could arguably be all of us.

He has created a significant body of work including 'The Field' and 'The Three Authors' that suggest an alternative source of knowledge could be argued, that so much of our own natural world shares the same components as the stars - might it then be so incredible that thought, ergo knowledge, has the same origin? An interesting observation which adds another idiosyncratic layer to the subject of where do we come from.

Indeed, there is apposite self-reflexion that Knowles' works beautifully into his 3 dimensional pieces such as "Philosophers Notepad". The school workbook used in language, mathematics and science classes are geometrically reworked to highlight the circularity of knowledge, Knowles cleverly takes and alludes to the Aztec form of text, where symbols were laid out in a circular or spiral fashion to reflect the sun and it movement through the sky.

Evident in much of Knowles' work is the sense that he is poking fun at much of the production of knowledge and the industry that surrounds it. Science and philosophy are integral to our understanding of the world, yet theories are debunked and revised constantly, as postulated by his whimsical sculpture "The House of Cards". Using vintage Penguin science or philosophy classics he eloquently illustrates how easily sacred cows are toppled to be replaced by newer, younger models, yet within it he once again suggests that our universe and what we know of it will always have secrets to offer up to us, should we have the capability of asking the right questions.

Ingrid Hinton 2010

Archon Vortex,
2010, Manipulated found book covers
1.2 x 1.22m

Education

2009 Wimbledon College of Art
2006 Kingston University London
2002 NESCOT College of Technology
2001 Merton Technical College

Awards

2009 1st prize, Pienkow international Art workshop
2009 Pienkow International Art Workshop, Chelm, Poland
2009 MK Fringe National Painting Prize - finalist

Selected Recent Exhibtions

2009

FUTURE MAP 20 Hoxton Square Projects, London, U
Group Show, Deutsche Postbank, London
thecentre:mk Annual Painting Prize, Milton Keynes
Total Replay, Jeannie Avent Gallery, London
Recent Graduates, The Affordabale Art Fair, London
Future Map, 20 Hoxton Square Projects, London
Pienkow International Workshop 09, Academy of Fine Arts, Gdansk, Poland2006 End of Year Show, Kingston University, London
Group Show, Corbet Place, London

2008

Coping Within the Smaller World, Brand New Space Wimbledon College of Art
London
Beyond The Karman Line, Brand New Space Wimbledon College of Art London

2007

Wimbledon College of Art, London
New Artworks, Et Cetera Gallery, London
Small For All, Foyer Gallery, Wimbledon College of Art, London
Group Show, Deutsche Postbank, London

Philosopher's Notepads
2010, Manipulated exercise books
dimension varies