Tate Britain

The 80s: Photographing Britain

21 November 2024–5 May 2025

A selection of works from Karen Knorr’s Gentlemen (1981–1983) will be included in the upcoming Tate Britain exhibition, The 80s: Photographing Britain, opening 21 November 2024. This exhibition traces the work of a diverse community of photographers, collectives and publications – creating radical responses to the turbulent Thatcher years. Set against the backdrop of race uprisings, the miner strikes, section 28, the AIDS pandemic and gentrification – be inspired by stories of protest and change.

The photographic works Gentlemen (1981–1983), photographed in English gentlemen’s clubs in Saint James’ in central London, consider the patriarchal values of the English upper middle classes with text constructed out of speeches of parliament and news. The complete series of 26 images and texts investigate the values that ally these classes to conservative aristocratic values where primogeniture is still an issue in a country symbolically ruled by a constitutional monarchy.

“I wanted to make work that used irony and parody in which to explore attitudes prevalent amongst the English establishment in the 1980’s.

Estampa
with Galería Blanca Berlín, Spain
Madrid
17–20 October 2024

A selection of works from Karen Knorr’s new Scavi (2023–2024) series are be available to view in Booth 5B01 at Estampa art fair in Madrid with Galería Blanca Berlín, Spain.

Specialising in photography and the visual arts, Blanca Berlín focuses on the most innovative trends in Spanish and international contemporary photography by established artists and mid-career or emerging talents. Since its founding in 2007, the gallery has become a benchmark for the classical and contemporary photography market.
 
Plus upcoming: 

Paris Photo 2024
Grand Palais, Paris
7–10 November 2024

Paris Photo 2024
Grand Palais, Paris
7–10 November 2024
Opening Preview: 6 November

Les Filles du Calvaire, Booth C31
Augusta Edwards Fine Art, Booth B40

Karen Knorr will be present and exhibiting works from Connoisseurs (1986–1990) and Country Life (1983–1985) at the upcoming Paris Photo with Les Filles du Calvaire and Augusta Edwards Fine Art, as well as participating in two book signings.

On view for the first time with Les Filles du Calvaire (Booth C31) will be a new limited edition release of 17 photographs from Connoisseurs. Printed on historic cibachrome paper, which has since been discontinued, the works are available in an edition of only 1/1 + 1 AP. The release also accompanies Knorr’s newly published Connoisseurs & Academies publication with Kehrer.

Augusta Edwards Fine Art (Booth B40) will be exhibiting a selection of works from Country Life,

Estampa
with Galería Blanca Berlín, Madrid, Spain
17–20 October 2024

A selection of works from Karen Knorr’s new Scavi (2023–2024) series will be available to view in Booth 5B01 the upcoming Estampa art fair in Madrid with Galería Blanca Berlín, Spain.

Estampa is a contemporary art fair that has been held in the autumn of Madrid for 31 years. Its scope of work is the art market in Spain, and its concern is the formation and stabilisation of sustainable collecting for a gallery scene that is constantly growing and updating in the country. The fair is structured around a General Programme of major Spanish galleries and a series of programmes whose curators present the most recent developments in contemporary art practice or focus on more experimental issues that are less common to the general public.

Specialising in photography and the visual arts, Blanca Berlín focuses on the most innovative trends in Spanish and international contemporary photography by established artists and mid-career or emerging talents. Since its founding in 2007, the gallery has become a benchmark for the classical and contemporary photography market.

Karen Knorr: Intersections
Sundaram Tagore Gallery New York
12 September–19 October 2024

Opening Reception with the Artist:
Thursday 12 September, 6–8pm

Sundaram Tagore Gallery is pleased to present Intersections, a solo exhibition of photographs by Karen Knorr, the British-American artist known for her visually rich, conceptually driven images that explore wealth, power and the aesthetics of beauty.

On view for the first time in New York are select works from Knorr’s brand-new series Scavi (2023–2024), set amid the stunning architectural heritage sites of southern Italy. The exhibition also features recent additions to India Song (2008–2023) and Fables (2003–2022) alongside historical analog photographs from Knorr’s groundbreaking work from the 1980s and ’90s.

Throughout her nearly fifty-year career, Knorr has used photography as a method of critical inquiry, employing the opulent palaces of India, monuments of Western Europe and the great houses of Britain to frame issues of power rooted in cultural heritage.

Seeing is Believing
Sundaram Tagore Gallery
London
28 June–14 September 2024

Otherworldly Landscapes
Sundaram Tagore Gallery
New York
19 July–23 August 2024

Works from Karen Knorr’s India Song (2008–2023) are currently showing with Sundaram Tagore Gallery in both London and New York.

Seeing is Believing, open now in the gallery’s London space, presents a collection of paintings, photography and sculpture by gallery artists who share unique perspectives that awaken us to new ways of seeing the world. Through the use of colour, texture, line, shape and form, this global group of artists reimagines existing realties, challenges social constructs and slows down time to create moments of quiet contemplation. Exhibited artists include: Karen Knorr, Miya Ando, Jane Lee, Zheng Lu, Robert Natkin, Robert Polidori, Susan Weil and Robert Yasuda.

Meanwhile, Otherworldly Landscapes in New York brings together new and historicpaintings, photographs and sculptures by gallery artists inspired by the power and beauty of nature. In both abstract and literal ways, each artist uniquely expands beyond the limits of the empirical realm to transport viewers to an imagined reality.

Seattle Art Fair
Sundaram Tagore Gallery
Booth C18
25 July–28 July 2024

Join Sundaram Tagore Gallery at the Seattle Art Fair where they are currently showing Karen Knorr’s Arjuna’s Path, Junha Mahal, Dungarpur, 2014, from the series India Song 2008–2023.

Seattle Art Fair, a one-of-a-kind showcase for the vibrant arts community of the Pacific Northwest, and a leading destination for the best in modern and contemporary art, returns to the Lumen Field Event Center for its eighth edition in July 2024. Working alongside Beneficiary Partner Seattle Art Museum, Artistic Director Nato Thompson, and the fair’s dedicated Host Committee, the Seattle Art Fair, founded by the late Paul G. Allen, is a celebrated and productive week bringing together the region’s strong collector base, the Pacific Northwest’s top museums and institutions, and an array of innovative public programming.

Vevey, Ville d’Images
Lakeside on Lake Geneva
Switzerland
12 June–12 July 2024

Plus The Treasure House Fair with Sundaram Tagore Gallery opening this week

Karen Knorr is participating at Vevey, Ville d’Images, with two images selected from Fables (2003–2022) currently exhibited lakeside on Lake Geneva on large posters.

Artist Corinne Vionnet invited Karen to participate as part of the project “Vevey, Ville d’Images” which was launched several years ago by Peter Scholl – a well-known graphic designer in the region. It involves a rotating selection of artists throughout the year, with a monthly presentation of two images by each artist shown on a billboard on the shores of Lake Geneva in Vevey. Many photographers, such as Martin Parr, Alec Soth, Joachim Schmid and Penelope Umbrico, to name but a few, have taken part in this project.

The Treasure House Fair
With Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Stand 224
Royal Hospital Chelsea, London
26 June–2 July

A selection of works from Karen Knorr’s Fables (2003–2022) series will be available to view at the second edition of The Treasure House Fair with Sundaram Tagore Gallery, bringing another opportunity to view Karen’s work in London.

Nestled within the grounds of the historic Royal Hospital Chelsea in London, The Treasure House Fair, offers a very special blend of art and design. At the Fair, 70 of the world’s top dealers gather to show their finest works, all vetted by independent experts. This unique event brings together carefully selected dealers, each a leader in their field.

The Treasure House Fair founders, Thomas Woodham-Smith and Harry Van der Hoorn, were co-founders of the original Masterpiece fair in 2009. Now in 2024, after a successful first edition of this new venture, they again combine their enthusiasm and expertise to create, with the exhibitors, a new experience against the familiar backdrop of Christopher Wren’s astonishing site.

An Evening of Art & Conversation
Tuesday 4 June 2024, 6–8pm

Photo London 2024
With Sundaram Tagore Gallery
Somerset House
16–19 May
Preview Day 15 May

Plus Two New Books, Signings, Open Studio, Drinks Reception and Artist Talk

Photo London 2024 is drawing closer, with its ninth edition opening at Somerset House in two weeks. It will be a busy and exciting week for Karen Knorr who will be exhibiting with Sundaram Tagore Gallery at the fair as well as in the group exhibition Fields of Vision at Cromwell Place. Across the two sites she will be exhibiting works from the brand new series Scavi and recent editions to India Song.

Throughout the week there will be a number of events celebrating the work of Karen Knorr, including an open studio, book signings and drinks at Sundaram Tagore’s gallery space at Cromwell Place – further details below. Alongside these presentations, Photo London will also see the launch of two new monographs showcasing important early works from the 1980s to the early 2000s, Connoisseurs & Academies published by Kehrer and Country Life published by Stanley/Barker.

Full event details below.