Sarah Knight: Radiant Aberrance

June 6-27 Main Gallery

Is all matter intrinsically queer in a state of transformation? By blurring boundariesbetween stone, clay, and queerness, I hope to reveal the hidden power of the unidentifiable. As a transgender artist my experience and practice embody the continual metamorphosis of the queer community. The work that results from my experimental ceramic processes allows me to build a queer reality that uses artifice and deception as a defense mechanism and reflective safe space.

I recreate the earth’s entropic processes in a ceramic kiln, speeding up geological time. I fuse artificial conglomerates in steel crucibles with ceramic, studio scrap, melted rocks, glass, and sand. I recycle and reclaim nearly all my clay and materials as an act of sustainability. This process of queer alchemy is meant to highlight the divide between the natural and artificial. The dialogue my work has with the history of craft and tradition questions the role of clay as a material deconstruction of identity and value. My finished sculptures are immersive and confrontational, asking visitors to explore a queer unmapped space with fascination and reflection.

My work questions if the divide between artificial and organic is worth upholding. By fusing both in the kiln, I work to dissolve cultural value systems placed on art, clay, and identity. Ultimately, my work expresses how queerness exists in spaces of aberrance and entropy.

Sarah Knight (they/them) is an transgender artist and arts educator living and working in Saint Louis, Missouri. They grew up in the San Francisco Bay area where they received their BFA from Mills College. They graduated with an MFA from Washington University in Saint Louis. They have been awarded several residencies, including Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts, Jentel Foundation, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, and Fine Arts Work Center. Knight was one of two 2021 Whitaker Foundation Artist-in-Residence at Craft Alliance in Saint Louis, and their work has been shown in galleries regionally and nationally. Knight’s first solo exhibition, Crystal Queer, opened at Foundry Art Centre in Saint Charles in April of 2022. Their second solo show, Queer Alchemy, opens at Northern Clay Center in October 2024. They recently received an Artist Support Grant from the Regional Arts Commission of Saint Louis to support the development of new work. 

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