Mark McKnight
Hi Mark, Congrats on your Fullbright! Can you tell me a little about what you’re working on?
Thanks! I’m working on photographing in Finland… I’m starting to put bits and pieces of things together and figure out exactly what I’m looking at and why. I think it’s probably the most organic way for me to work.
If I were to visit Finland, where would you take me?
If you came to Helsinki, I would probably bring you to a couple of places for some hangout. My favorite places so far have been Ravintola Tori, which offers some pretty incredible food… reindeer meatballs and some typical Finnish lager. I think every time I’ve been back to Helsinki I’ve also spent at least a few hours in Ateneum which houses a pretty beautiful permanent collection of Nordic landscape paintings (and whose influence hopefully makes its way into the work that I’m making) as well as Kiasma (the contemporary art museum). In the North where I’m living I would probably just suggest renting a car and driving to the Swedish border or around Lapland, which is the kind of place you really have to experience to understand. Especially in Winter.
If you had to describe your work to a stranger, what would you say?
It probably depends on the stranger. I would probably say “disparate” but that has more to do with what I’m constantly hearing from other people and less to do with any acute interest I have in confusing viewers or obfuscating my intentions. In most cases I avoid describing pictures to people because it defeats the purpose of looking at them and not only would it give people some preconceived notion of how or why they should look at them but also defeats the purpose of my showing them.
Describe your process for making a photograph. Do you set out to make a certain photo or do you just stumble across your subjects?
It definitely varies. Most of the work that people have seen is all of people who I came across (driving, walking, on bus, through an acquaintance) but I’ve certainly made pictures of people who are close to me and also in a few cases, gotten to know people who I initially met as photographic subjects. I shoot with a larger camera… it’s kind of arduous to bring it everywhere so in most cases, the pictures I make are the result of me going out and trying to make pictures. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. In a few rare cases, I’ve seen something without a camera and made a note to come back.
In your opinion, what makes a good photographer?
One summer, a couple vans, some assistants, models, accountants, a trampoline, fireworks. Or you could just be borrowing your mom’s old Pentax. Or you could drag an 8x10 around. I think there’s a variety of ways to make great pictures and anyone can make them… certainly the amount of incredible “found photographs” out there serve as evidence of that.
What artists are you excited about right now?
I’m really excited about a lot of my friends… I’d rather talk about their work then mine most of the time. I just saw a bunch of great work on my friend Peters “flickr”… It’s just a random selection of stuff he’s made over the last bit of time and it’s certainly only a small fraction of a pretty extensive and great collection of work but people should be aware: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24101414@N03/
Also, my friend Paul Schiek had a show at Stephen Wirtz right after his inclusion in Bay Area Now. My buddy Michelle Blade continues to make paintings that thrill the shit out of me… I really admire the sincerity in her work. I helped my friend Calvin Tresize document some pretty stellar performative work over the summer and I believe he’s going to be showing that in Los Angeles in the near-future. My friend Alex Heilbron, also blowing my mind right now with some new work during an I-chat tour of her studio. Case Simmons and Andrew Burke had a show at Lightbox in LA that I just missed before I moved but I did see all the work and it’s monumental and disgusting and perfect at the same time.
Historically… I’m really excited about Imogen Cunningham. Before I left for Finland I helped manage a giant project in which me and several other individuals organized the curating, archiving, framing, and hanging of hundreds of her prints for an exhibition. After handling the prints day after day and noticing the variety of subject matter, I really began to appreciate her in a way that I don’t think I otherwise would have. The variety in her work is really an indication of one persons interest in constructing a visual world that sometimes has everything to do with and other times absolutely nothing to do with reality. I’m still interested in that age old, often clichéd discussion of “photographic truth”. Somehow the work functions, I don’t know if I could ever put it into words or if it’s even worth doing. And also, Walker Evans. Always. I don’t even think I need to elaborate on that one.
What’s next?
Next? The more I think about all the good work that is and isn’t being seen for vast and weird reasons, the more I think I might like to start curating. Maybe consider an MFA for the sake of teaching? I’m also working on editing a small book of my work that should be out in 2009. I’ll keep you posted….
