On view January 19 – February 24, 2018
Liz Knox will present a three-channel installation of video works, drawing upon three seasons of the original Law & Order television show: Season 1 (1991), Season 10 (2000), and Season 20 (2010). Knox uses conceptual strategies, examining systems of interpretation with an emphasis on irony. Language is the most common thread in her work, and a common starting point is found text.
The works in Law and Order expand on Knox’s previous investigations of popular culture and the nuances of communication within it. Law and Order intends to hold a mirror up to the popular television dramas that seem to hold up a mirror to the everyday news.
The artist writes:
The small vignettes that start each Law & Order episode generally do not include the main actors, rather they are meant to simply set the stage and provide a tone. Each vignette captures a small-scale portrait of the year it was produced, and in weaving these snippets of mass media DNA together, they become an effective representation of the social and political climate of the decade.
The wording of the disclaimer ‘all persons fictitious’, which bookends each Law & Order episode, often shifts slightly, sometimes by only a word or two, perhaps to acknowledge similarity to real-life events while maintaining non-representation. (ie. ‘The following story is fictional and does not represent any actual person, entity or event’ versus ‘Although inspired by actual events the following story is fictional and not intended to represent any actual person or event’, etc.) The adamant insistence of non-representation alongside the videos creates an alternative portrait of three decades.
Artist bio:
Liz Knox studied Studio Art at the University of Guelph and completed her graduate studies at Emily Carr University in 2013. Her work has been shown in exhibitions and film festivals across Canada and internationally including the Charles H Scott Gallery (Vancouver), Access Gallery (Vancouver), G Gallery (Toronto), Eyelevel Gallery (Halifax), Lawton Gallery (University of Wisconsin), Vtape (Toronto), and the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery (Toronto).
The artist wishes to express her gratitude to the Canada Council for the Arts for supporting this project.
Related Events:
Opening Reception: Friday, January 19th, 8 pm
Artist Talk: January 19, 7 p.m. at PAVED Arts
In the News:
READ–Liz Knox Artist Interview w/ CBC Saskatoon: Saskatoon art exhibit dives deep into TV’s Law and Order
