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Sarnia, ON – Shawn McKnight is an artist with a dream and a mission which he expresses through his art. His idea of making Sarnia a better place, from a sense of community to developing a respect for the environment is part of his dream. This dream is brilliantly expressed in the exhibition Shawn McKnight: Energy Exchange, which will be featured at Gallery Lambton from January 15 to February 19, 2005. You can meet Shawn McKnight at the opening reception at Gallery Lambton on Saturday, January 15, at 3:00 p.m. Shawn is also offering a walking tour of his exhibition on Saturday, February 5, at 3:00 p.m. Admission is free.
For the duration of the exhibition McKnight will be living and working in the Energy Exchange Art and Design Studio, without leaving the 20 foot by 30 foot space. This artist-run space is located just steps away from Gallery Lambton at 192 N. Christina Street. “This will enable me to focus solely on the one concept I have been building on and refining for many years - demonstrating a harmonious understanding of life that everyone can relate to,” McKnight says. He feels that with that amount of time and space he will have the opportunity to pull his sketches and written notes together, resulting in a coherent body of work. He plans to utilize the entire wall space to layout and organize all of his material creating what he calls a “mind map”. In doing this, McKnight says, “I will make myself readily available to anyone I plan on acquiring assistance from. The project touches on all aspects of life support and community function, requiring input and direction from experts in every field.”
Inspired by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield’s exquisite photographs of earth taken from space, McKnight was particularly drawn to the images of Sarnia as seen from space. He uses these images in his exhibition, illustrating his respect for ‘Spaceship Earth’. McKnight’s respect for the environment starts with this big picture, of the earth, and then shifts to the small details, the details we can embrace in our daily lives. Shawn believes in creating a sense of community; a local economy that works to enhance the environment. His work celebrates nature, and he communicates these essential ideas through his art. He incorporates natural and recycled materials into his art works. “My recent works take form as an object or situation encouraging self-motivated analysis,” says McKnight. “Opposing ideas come together to form a mediator: drawing is demonstrated through sculpture, abstraction through realism, delicate natural life forms through large-scale steel pieces. The current struggle between natural order and industrial ideation is the driving force throughout my works.” The exhibition includes sketches, plans, models, and interactive sculpture.
Shawn McKnight was born in Sarnia. He graduated from Fanshawe College, London, Ontario, with a Diploma of Fine Art and from the University of Lethbridge, Alberta, with a Bachelor of Fine Art. In 2004, he had the distinction of having a work exhibited at the National Gallery of Canada. This particular art work had previously won the first prize in Gallery Lambton’s Look 2003 exhibition. Shawn McKnight designed the Victims of Chemical Valley (V.O.C.V.) Memorial, a steel sculpture, which is located along the waterfront in Centennial Park, Sarnia. The memorial symbolizes the loss many families in this community have suffered as a result of occupational disease and other workplace fatalities. His work has been exhibited in Sarnia, London, Toronto and Lethbridge, Alberta.
For more information, contact Gallery Lambton at (519) 336-8127.
For more information about Lambton County, visit www.lambtononline.ca.
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Contact:
Holly Rutherford
Gallery Assistant Community Relations
County of Lambton
Telephone: (519) 336-8127
Fax: (519) 336-8128
email: holly.rutherford@county-lambton.on.ca
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