Knowledge Bennett

Knowledge Bennett is a self-taught multi-disciplined visual artist. His body of work archives a pursuit of autonomy and a yearning to operationalise the voice of visual narrative. Bennett’s creative exploration began with photography and postwar- inspired silk screen painting, which interrogated the present-day crises of Black existence in America. In 2018 he founded The KNOW Contemporary, an art gallery that challenges traditional thinking about the utility of creative production within the community. 

“Art Money has been a game changer for my practice and gallery. It allows someone like myself to help develop collectors rather than chase after those who’ve already been in the collecting space. It has democratised the acquisition of art in a way that I’m not sure we’ve seen before.”

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Yoyo Lander
I Can't Keep Making The Same Mistake, 2021
Watercolour paint and paper, archival adhesive medium
66 x 42inches

Ms. Lander’s I Can’t Keep Making The Same Mistake, was first shown at my gallery, THE KNOW CONTEMPORARY in 2021. She and I shared the space putting on two solo exhibitions. When helping curate the exhibit, I had the privilege of seeing the work in person before others. Her works were very cohesive, therefore changing very little aesthetically, yet the different body postures along with the titles distinguished one from the other. I must say, I was attracted to all of the pieces, but it was the title of this one that struck a cord in me. In life, it’s quite easy for us to self sabotage and “I Can’t Keep Making The Same Mistake”, sums this up in such a beautiful and straightforward way. It’s a simple yet profound statement that I feel many can relate to. As visual artists we can sometimes breathe life into a work with the titles or narratives that accompany them. The proper pairing of words and images can be quite powerful.

Covet

Daniel Tyree Gaitor-Lomack
Blue Jeans, Black Male, Plaid Shirt: Oodles and Noodles (First)
Blue Jeans, Black Male, Plaid Shirt: Oodles and Noodles (Second)

Blue Jeans, Black Male, Plaid Shirt: Oodles and Noodles (Third)
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2023

Acrylic, wood panel

48 x 72 inches
Available from Jac Forbes Contemporary

USD $5,000 per month with Art Money or $50,000
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I have my eye on a few emerging artists. Recently, the Jac Forbes Contemporary in Los Angeles, exhibited an artist by the name of Daniel Tyree Gaitor-Lomack. There were some really interesting works on hand and one in particular caught my attention, titled Blue Jeans, Black Male, Plaid Shirt: Oodles and Noodles. There are three iterations of this piece and I feel they are quite witty. The usage of such a recognisable food (180 unwrapped packs of Oodles and Noodles), painted in such a way (blue, black and plaid) and given such a title could almost represent an abstract self-portrait of the artist. And the 180 packs could speak to a 180 degree about-face that one might take when seeking to bring about a change (turn around) in one’s own life. At least that’s how I read it. Could just be me projecting, yet isn’t that what one does when confronting a work.