YOU KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW

January 10th - January 31st, 2024

two-site exhibition at KUNSTRAUM LLC  and SPACE776

Works by Tatiana Arocha, Jaynie Crimmins, Amanda Konishi, Saskia Krafft and Nadja Verena Marcin
Curated by Christina Massey

(Dec 15, 2023 - NEW YORK, NY & BROOKLYN, NY) We are pleased to announce "You Know What You Know," a two-site group exhibition that explores women artists and their connection to their embodied knowledge. This exhibition invites viewers on a journey into passionately constructed environments filled with the emotional architecture of natural experiences, sensory conversations and structured unity. Located at both Space776 in Manhattan’s Lower East Side and at the KUNSTRAUM gallery in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, the show highlights the work of five contemporary female-identifying artists who present representational, process-based, tactile, performative and interactive artworks to create two unique exhibition experiences under one theme.

“You Know What You Know” includes artists Tatiana Arocha, Jaynie Crimmins, Amanda Konishi, Saskia Krafft and Nadja Verena Marcin and is curated by KUNSTRAUM’s 2023-24 Curator-in-Residence Christina Massey. Each venue will feature and highlight a different aspect of the artists’ practice, shifting perspectives on their work. On view at the KUNSTRAUM gallery from January 10th – 28th, 2024 and the at Space776 from January 17th – 31st, 2024.

Works on display employ labor-intensive techniques with mediums such as aluminum, gold leaf on canvas, meticulously crafted paper sculptures, collaged paintings, ceramics sewn into silk fabrics as well as digital mobile apps with content libraries. Further layered into the artwork selections is the artists’ shared concern for environmental preservation, global ecosystems and the reshaping of languages. Their socially and economically diverse upbringings, their connection to historical, craft-based mediums as women artists and their educational backgrounds in fine-art related fields, all inform their creative approach.

The exhibition’s theme is inspired by KUNSTRAUM’s mission as a makerspace to serve an array of interdisciplinary artists, including architects, designers, performers and fine artists. Artists in “You Know What You Know” have educational backgrounds spanning from illustration, graphic design, theater arts, filmmaking and arts education. Originating from the US, Germany and Columbia, these multigenerational artists exemplify how personal stories, family connections and birthplace influence an artist’s chosen career path and creative style. Beyond formal training, some of the artists have worked extensively with scientists, engineers and indigenous societies, enriching their work with a multi-layered knowledge that deepens the experience and understanding of their practice; adding a network of insights influenced by place, time and gender.

At Space776, Tatiana Arocha presents "Bosque de niebla,” a large black and white landscape with a gold leaf riverbed inspired by Columbia’s moorlands. This piece is inspired by el páramo de Chingaza, which serves as the origin of the country's water supply and is located close to Arocha’s father’s house. Full of intricate details, viewers are invited to search and discover the diverse ecosystem, flora and fauna. At KUNSTRAUM, Arocha created a small installation that brings the painting into the dimensional world. With her signature black and white palette with hints of gold leaf, artworks at KUNSTRAUM hang from the ceiling and utilize found branches, felts and handmade paper to create an immersive experience.

In contrast, Saskia Krafft’s mixed-media works, also featured at KUNSTRAUM, make use of bold, highly saturated colors. These pieces are created from silks, ceramics, plasma-cut metalsand incorporate printmaking techniques. Krafft stretches multiple layers of transparent fabrics over a wooden frame before sewing on various elements. These include glazed ceramic pieces that she calls “platelets” and painted plasma-cut sheet metal that evoke plants native to her hometown in Germany, New York and California. The layering of geometric elements and soft translucent fabrics offers the seductive sensation of peering into the inner depths of the work. Krafft’s works at Space776 are more sculptural with a simplified material selection, created primarily from plasma cut metals and found tree branches. These works, engage the gallery wall through the use of shadow. The negative space between the wall and the work acts as a window to the inner being.

The transition between the two venues reveals further nuanced shifts in form and color within the artworks of Jaynie Crimmins and Amanda Konishi. Crimmins’ sculptural collages at Space776 form a neutrally toned wall installation while at KUNSTRAUM, her pieces are more relief based, colorful and individually displayed. Similarly, Amanda Konishi’s collaged paintings shift in color palettes between the locations and disclose subtle changes in her forms.

At Space776, visitors can interact with Nadja Verena Marcin’s feminist bot, #SOPHYGRAY, derived from extensive research focused on contemporary technology such as Amazon’s Alexa, Microsoft’s Ms. Dewey and Hanson’s AI-robot Sophia. In contrast to these male-programmed apps, Marcin’s bot offers engagement with agency, intellect, and often humorous and witty remarks informed by a long list of feminist literature. Viewers can ask the bot anything they desire, including for insight about the artists’ works in the show, her opinion on environmental and social concerns and on art in general. At KUNSTRAUM, Marcin showcases a video of a performance featuring two dancers and audience interactions with the bot, highlighting her desire to empower through knowledge and the potential to influence technology.

In “You Know What You Know,” the convergence of diverse artistic practices, informed by rich personal narratives, educational backgrounds and collaborative experiences creates a captivating mosaic of contemporary artistry. Through meticulous care and craftsmanship, innovative techniques, these five exceptional female artists invite viewers to engage, explore, and contemplate the intersections of art, history, technology and advocacy. This exhibition not only celebrates their individual artistic journeys but also invites audiences to delve into a multi-layered world where creativity and knowledge converge.