Karen Knorr: Cultural Migrations 

Professorial Lecture December 13, 2017

http://karenknorr.com/photography/

In an interview with Karen Knorr by Rosa Maria Falvo (June 2014) Knorr states, "Artists are today's story tellers..."  

I was particularly struck by this statement as it resonated so well throughout this lecture. I was captivated from the opening title slide, Cultural Migrations. Migrating people come from diverse cultural backgrounds with already formed cultural identities so the sharing of a few of these identities from Knorr's perspective, through artistic dialogue, makes for a stimulating presentation and discussion.  

Knorr grew up in a dynamic household which was rich in artistic and cultural conversation. Having being born in Germany but living her formative years in Puerto Rico and studying in Paris and London, Knorr was exposed to diverse cultural identities. At aged nine, she acquired a  Brownie Kodak camera and from then on, photography was central to her life. Having studied a photographic and filmic art degree course at the (then) Polytechnic in Central London (now the University of Westminster) she went on to use the critical theory she was exposed to, to be an important catalyst to her work. During the 1980s, Knorr considered herself as an activist artist, particularly focusing on exploring privileges, contradictions and abuses of male power through photography. 

In 1977, Knorr collaborated with Olivier Richon in staging posed photographs of punks. Instead of the grainy, candid 'hit-and-run' perspective these photographs engaged in a 'direct confrontation' with their subjects. Knorr and Richon created a more formal image which emphasised punk symbolism and made it more 'readable'. 

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/nov/20/punk-photography-karen-knorr-olivier-richon

In 2012 I visited the Tate Gallery's Another London exhibition  (27 July – 18 September 2012) and was impressed by Knorr and Richon's punk imagery. My husband and I were immediately catapulted back towards this era which was pertinent to our lives at that time. The image on the left could be my husband as it represented his attachment to this anarchic, political and tribal movement. The image's power on an emotional level is very strong as it is immediately connective for a generation of misspent youths, but it is also powerful in that it there is a focus on the underpinning dialogue of punk symbolism. The familiarity of the image but also the attitudes conveyed is surprising. Knorr and Richon created a stunning series of tableaux in which detached, bored, made-up youths posed for portraits. 

I found a beauty in Knorr's staged photographs. Her ability to control the narrative was inspirational. I am particularly inspired by the way she doesn't distinguish between fictional elements and historical facts. As Knorr puts it, "they are intertwined".