Based in Sydney, the Australian artist Jasper Knight is known for his bold paintings that straddle the worlds of high art and everyday images. Knight’s paintings often employ bright colours in blocks, but avoid flatness and simplicity in form due to the organic way in which the paint drips down the canvas. The works are also spatially innovative, playing with traditional perspective points.
Knight constantly creates new departures in his work, employing a whole host of materials, most notably Perspex, enamel, plywood and found objects such as tiles and discarded signs. By virtue of the inclusion of such materials the pieces are what might be called ‘sculptural paintings’, straddling the border between the two disciplines.
Increasingly Knight’s work is becoming more abstract, exploring the architecture of line and the added readymade forms that exist within the surface. Often Knight utlilises objects which relate to the pictorial subject, for instance his series of images based on ports incorporated discarded objects found on location. The surface of the artwork therefore has its own history of trade and industry.
In 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2010 Knight was a finalist in the Archibald prize. He was also exhibited in the Wynne Prize in 2005 and 2006. In 2007 he opened Chalk Horse gallery with the generous support of the Australia Council and the City of Sydney. Knight has had shows in Hong Kong, Berlin, London, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
