Todd Knopke’s first solo show opens at I-20 on June 26. Although the title “Group Sh/ DEEP DOWN” suggests that this is a group show, Knopke curates a group show from one individual’s studio – his own. This notion of Group Sh (think of the sound shh) also refers to the idea of a collective hush which the artist defines as either the lovely or disturbing image of a large group of individuals, each keeping to theirself. The latter part of the title, DEEP DOWN, expands on the idea of deliberate silence, referring to the way people hold in feelings, thoughts or impulses.
The theme allows room for the enjoyment of some works that have fun or deal with the title DEEP DOWN in different ways. The large sculpture, entitled The Wolfman, is a tangible manifestation of a dream described to Sigmund Freud in one of his first and most famous case studies. The patient’s description of his dream formed the basis for Freud’s analysis. Knopke’s “wolves” stare with rapt attention back at the viewer. The tree is made of plaster and paper; the “wolves” are made of plaster and skinned with fake fur.
There is also a large quilt that the artist prepared for this exhibit. Due to its size and installation, this quilt behaves less as a blanket for a bed and more like a blanket for a room, or curtain. Small squares of felt are illuminated from the back creating a stained glass effect. The curtain hangs on a track that snakes through the gallery – allowing for movement and potentially changing the shape of the gallery and relationships among the artworks.
Three photographs are shown. One is an underwater picture of brightly colored fish. In the other works are a crowd dancing and singing at a hardcore show and one young brave soul diving off a balcony (doing a flip) into the same sea of people.
Three paintings are featured, including A Couples Spectral and Chris, a portrait of Chris McCandless, who is the subject of the book Into the Wild. McCandless was a young man who gave up everything he had to commune with nature.
The show is completed by sculptures including a lone microphone stand and a tiny closet. Wrestler is a portrait of the artist as a wrestler with his winning belt draped over his shoulder. The sculpture is pushed against a mirror, hung against the wall, into which the wrestler grimaces and points its finger. In a second sculpture, a small model of a well sits atop a pedestal. Within, but hidden from view by the work’s position on the pedestal, is a small ladder descending into the well’s abysmal bottom.
Todd Knopke was born in Los Angeles, CA, in 1973. He received his BFA from the Virginia Commonwealth University, and his MFA from the Yale University School of the Arts. His work has been included in group exhibitions at White Columns, Derek Eller Gallery and Jessica Murray Projects. His photographs have been featured in the Columbia Journal, and he has been the artistic director for The Duende Theatre Company’s two most recent projects.