David Knuckey, 1985

Art

Jury report

Painting can be conceived and practised from the centre of its tradition or from its fraying edges. David Knuckey does both, taking care to remove traces of motivation from his work. This void creates a yearning for fullness, and the first threads are subtly fed into our gaze as we observe the works shown here. Wires are inserted into a skin-coloured cotton fabric like inlays; running diagonally they connect oblong panels that are laid flat or leaning against an upright surface. Wooden inserts within the frames push the surfaces in or out in a geometric pattern. Regularly placed white markings emphasise the edges as boundaries. Two small canvases hung on the walls diagonally opposite each other locate the statement within the artistic tradition.