Upcoming Retrospective at Château d’Azay-le-Rideau

Upcoming Solo Exhibition at Château d’Azay-le-Rideau, France

Curated by Claude d’Anthenaise, supported by Les Filles du Calvaire

15 June – 1 November 2026

(PV: 27 June 2026)

 

Karen Knorr Studio is delighted to announce Karen Knorr’s upcoming retrospective at Château d’Azay-le-Rideau, curated by Claude d’Anthenaise and supported by Les Filles du Calvaire. Karen is currently busy preparing for the solo exhibition, which will feature over forty photographs spanning from the 1970’s to the present day.

Built during the reign of Francis I by Gilles Berthelot, the king’s financier, the château of Azay-le-Rideau presents a subtle alliance of French traditions and innovative decorations from Italy. It has become an icon of the new art of building in the Loire Valley in the 16th century, and is today considered one of the jewels of early French Renaissance architecture. At the end of the 19th century, the castle passed through several owners before finally being purchased by the State in 1905. It is now managed and open to visitors by the Centre des monuments nationaux.

Further details coming soon!

Upcoming Art Fairs: Art SG, Art Palm Beach and Zona Maco

ART SG: 22–25 January
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
Booth BA06

 

Art Palm Beach: 28 January–1 February
Palm Beach County Convention Center, Florida
Booth 605

 

Zona Maco: 4–8 February
Banamex Center, Mexico City
Booth E107

 

Karen Knorr’s photographs will be included in three upcoming art fairs with Sundaram Tagore Gallery.

Opening today at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre at the heart of Singapore’s financial district, ART SG is the leading global contemporary art fair in Southeast Asia.

FotoFest Biennial 2026

Global Visions – FotoFest at 40
7 March – 10 May 2026

 

Sawyer Yards Galleries
2000 Edwards Street, Houston, TX 77007

 

Two works from the series Gentlemen (1981-1983) will be on view as part of FotoFest 2026 in Houston. They were previously shown in the 1992 edition of the biennial.

From March 7 through May 10, 2026, the spotlight returns to Houston’s multiple Sawyer Yards galleries in Arts District Houston with an unforgettable showcase of creative discovery and thought-provoking innovation from the United States and over 58 countries.

Curated by FotoFest co-founder and former artistic director Wendy Watriss, executive director Steven Evans, and co-curators Annick Dekiouk and Madi Murphy, Global Visions – FotoFest at 40 dives deeply into the international and local archives of FotoFest’s 40-year legacy. It reconstitutes the organisation’s widely praised exhibitions, publications, and citywide photo and mixed-media presentations that have defined the organisation’s pioneering history. 

Two Temple Place: The Weight of Being

The Weight of Being: Vulnerability, Resilience, and Mental Health in Art
Two Temple Place, London
24 January–19 April 2026

 

Curated by Angela Thomas, this new exhibition at Two Temple Place will explore artistic expression and mental health. Through depictions of deeply personal and collective experiences, it examines the powerful ways in which artists capture vulnerability, resilience, and their search for solace.

Including the work of a diverse range of twentieth century and contemporary artists and their varying perspectives, The Weight of Being will showcase how artists have captured the psychological and emotional impact of societal pressures, resilience in the face of adversity, and existential uncertainty. Four works from Karen Knorr’s series Belgravia (1979–1981) will be included in the exhibition.

Alongside dozens of artworks drawn from galleries and collections across the UK, the portraits, landscapes, and figurative studies of the lesser-known artist John Wilson McCracken (1936–1982) are woven throughout. Denied the opportunity to return to the Slade School of Art following a period of hospitalisation for mental health reasons, McCracken spent much of his career in Hartlepool, producing work that reflects a profound sensitivity to the emotional and social pressures of his time.

In Plain Sight: Photography, Power and Public Space in Britain

In Plain Sight: Photography, Power and Public Space in Britain

Matèria, San Lorenzo, Rome

5 December 2025–1 February 2026

PV: 4 December, 6 – 9pm (San Lorenzo Gallery Night)

 

Matèria is pleased to present In Plain Sight: Photography, Power and Public Space in Britain, an exhibition of photographic works, co-curated in dialogue with Christiane Monarchi. Through the intersection of language and the use of public space, the exhibition explores photography as a transformative site for action and a declaration of intent—whether political, cultural, or personal. Selected photographs from Karen Knorr’s series Country Life (1983–1985) will be on view alongside works by Anna Fox, Jermaine Francis, Sunil Gupta, MacDonaldStrand, Sarah Pickering, John Stezaker, and Bettina von Zwehl.

At its core, In Plain Sight is both a reflection on Britain’s rich photographic landscape and a testament to its profound contributions to social discourse with a particular focus on the last twenty years. Bringing together the work of eight lens-based artists, the exhibition opens a dialogue with specific histories of the United Kingdom which continue to influence visual culture today. The photographs, video

Zoom Artist Talk | Karen Knorr: Journeys, Collaborations and Women in Photography

Karen Knorr: Journeys, Collaborations and Women in Photography

 

Artist Talk with Maidenhead Camera Club

Zoom / Cox Green Community Centre

Tuesday 18 November 2025, 8:00 – 10:00pm

 

Maidenhead Camera Club are hosting an online talk with Karen Knorr on Tuesday 18 November, 8:00 – 10:00pm. Watch the talk via Zoom, or join at Cox Green Community Centre in Maidenhead where it will be screened. Book your ticket here, non-members welcome.

In her presentation, Journeys, Collaborations and Women in Photography, Karen will be talking about the evolution of and changes in her practice from 1976 – 2025. Her photography explores cultural heritage and its ideological underpinnings. Questions concerning post colonialism and its relationship to aesthetics have permeated her photographic work since the 1980’s.

Based at Cox Green Community Centre, Maidenhead Camera Club’s programme includes talks, exhibitions, practical and studio evenings, visits and walks.

Paris Photo 2025 | Book Signing with Filigranes Éditions

Paris Photo 2025
Grand Palais, Paris
13–16 November 2025

Opening Preview: 12 November

 

Book Signing of Fables and Other Stories 
Filigranes Éditions, Stand K09
13 November, 3:15 – 4:00pm

 

Karen Knorr will be present at Paris Photo and will be signing copies of her book Fables and Other Stories with Filigranes Éditions on Thursday 13 November!

Fables and Other Stories, offers a unique immersion into Karen Knorr’s world with around forty photographs and eleven short stories for children written by Knorr herself. The publication accompanied the Matmut Pour Les Arts exhibition from earlier this year, which brought together recent works from Knorr’s newest series, Scavi, and emblematic photographs from FablesIndia Song and MonogatariIn Fables and Other Stories, she uses subtle collages of animals, objects and architectural settings to question the authority of museums and heritage. Its visual dialogue, between reality and fiction, invites the reader to explore worlds mixing traditions and illusions, opening the way to a poetic reflection on the authenticity and power of the image.

Paris Photo 2025

Paris Photo 2025
Grand Palais, Paris
13–16 November 2025 (Opening Preview: 12 November)

 

Les Filles du Calvaire (Booth C31) & Augusta Edwards Fine Art (Booth B4)

 

Karen Knorr will be present and exhibiting works at the upcoming Paris Photo with Les Filles du Calvaire and Augusta Edwards Fine Art.

On view with Les Filles du Calvaire (Booth C31) will be selected photographs from Knorr’s co-authored series with Olivier Richon, Punks, alongside works by Laia Abril, Helena Almeida, Diana Markosian, Katrien de Blauwer, Katalin Ladik, Lore Stessel, Nelli Palomaki, and Marie Quéau. From 1976 to 1977, Karen Knorr and Olivier Richon documented the London punk scene revolving around the Roxy in Covent Garden and the Global Village in Charing Cross. The first prints from their Punks series were originally presented at The Photographers’ Gallery in 1978, and featured many years later, in 2012, at Tate Britain in the retrospective titled Another London.

Augusta Edwards Fine Art (Booth B40) will be exhibiting a selection of works from Ladies (2011) in a group presentation also including

Four Corners 50 at Fifty Anniversary Print Sale

Launching Online: 17–30 November 2025

 

Karen Knorr and Olivier Richon are delighted to have donated a print from their Punks series for Four Corners50 at Fifty Anniversary Print Sale.

Launching online on 17 November 2025, the 50 at Fifty print sale will offer collectors and photography lovers alike the chance to purchase a print by one of 50 acclaimed image-makers for just £50. Each 10 x 8” print is produced on Hahnemühle Fine Art Pearl paper and accompanied by a certificate of authentication. The sale runs for two weeks only, ending 30 November.

All proceeds will go towards Four Corners’ future exhibition programme, helping to sustain their support for artists and communities. Click here to explore the participating photographers and keep an eye on Four Corners’ instagram for further details!

Show Me to You Exhibition at Newlands House Gallery, Petworth

Group Exhibition: Show Me to You
Newlands House Gallery, Petworth
1 November 2025–15 February 2026

 

A selection of works from Karen Knorr’s Belgravia (1979-81) series will be on view in the Fast Forward: Women in Photography exhibition, Show Me to You, which accompanies the major retrospective, Jane Bown: Play Shadow.

Jane Bown: Play Shadow at Newlands House Gallery, Petworth (from 1 November 2025 to 15 February 2026) expands beyond the familiar public image of Bown’s work as a photographer with The Observer newspaper, to reveal the deeply personal vision and consistent philosophy that guided her work: a belief in simplicity, natural light, and the decisive presence of a good face.

The exhibition also celebrates Jane’s lasting connection to the region and to future generations of image-makers. An alumna of the Guildford School of Art – which offered the UK’s only full-time photography course at the time, directed by Ifor Thomas – now part of the University for the Creative Arts (UCA), the exhibition includes Show Me to You, part of Fast Forward: Womxn in Photography, which celebrates the continuing legacy of Jane Bown, a UCA’s distinguished graduates. Known for her intimate and honest portraits, Bown’s influence resonates in the work of UCA alumni and staff: Anna Fox, Sunil Gupta, Karen Knorr,