SAD ART CAT NIP

Artist Bio 

 Emily Margot Knight (b. 1999) is a multimedia artist working in the mediums of painting, fibers, and digital art. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California Knight received her B.A in Art and Film Studies from Pepperdine University in 2021. She is currently pursuing an M.F.A in Painting from SCAD in Savannah, Georgia. Her work deals with the complex relationship between teenage girlhood and the greater cultural zeitgeist. 

Artist Statement

          I create brightly colored oil paintings on canvas embellished with mixed media consisting but not limited to glitter, fibers, paper, sequins, rhinestones, faux stones, and leafing. The work shows my interest in exploring the emotions that arise from the cultural, political, and economic standing of teenage girlhood within the greater social landscape. Inspired by the magnified textures of Marilyn Minter, the raw depictions of young femininity in photographs by Petra Collins, relationships between the cute and the creepy in pieces by Mark Ryden, and the manipulations of materials by Mickalene Thomas all serve as inspiration that construct the basis for which the paintings are built upon. This also includes the rich history of female portraiture that has come before and its clues to the viewing of women throughout time. 

          These paintings begin with depictions of women and pop culture moments from the 2010s-2020s relevant to the cultural conversation of teenage girls like myself at the time. There are elements of gore with an emphasis on body horror. Oil painting is an essential medium for this work because of its long history depicting women. The saccharine palette used for these pieces relate back to overwhelming emotion associated with the subject matter. Textures created with mixed media like glitter, faux stones, and fibers create an uneven landscape for the ideas of uncomfortable growings up to be represented upon. These materials also reference the history of craft and its function in the lives of teenage girls across cultures and eras. 

          The work is directly inspired by my personal adolescence and experiences growing up as a teenager in the age of internet culture. It covers the economic, social, and political impacts affecting young women. These consequences are equally matched by the intense emotions of sorrow and rage. The disgusting and gory elements are the physical manifestations of these feelings and often accompanied trauma they produce. These monstrous elements displayed alongside “crafty” and “cute” ideals reveal a perspective of pain and frustration. This pain and frustration and its conflict with traditional femininity play an integral role in forming the cultures and trends referenced in my work. 

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