Mark Armijo McKnight: Decreation

Mark Armijo McKnight, Without a Song (solo ii) , 2024. 16mm film transferred to video, black and white, sound; 11:19 min. Courtesy the artist. © Mark Armijo McKnight

Mark Armijo McKnight: Decreation features new and recent black-and-white photographs by Mark Armijo McKnight (b. 1984, Los Angeles, California; lives in New York, New York) and focuses on his ongoing body of work, “Decreation.” The concept, originated by the French philosopher, activist, and mystic Simone Weil (1909–1943), describes an intentional undoing of the self, a process Armijo McKnight explores in images of bodies and landscapes in intermediate states, such as anonymous nude figures engaged in erotic play amidst harsh environments. These photographs convey a sense of both ecstasy and affliction. A new 16mm film in the gallery plays a cacophonous symphony of gradually unwinding metronomes set within the dramatic geological formations of the Bisti Badlands/De-Na-Zin Wilderness in New Mexico. Two large limestone sculptures, which double as seating, suggest the forms of a pair of ancient sundials. As a whole, Decreation simultaneously evokes tumult and quietude, darkness and light, isolation and togetherness.  

Mark Armijo McKnight, The Black Place (ii), 2024. Gelatin silver print, 48 x 60 in. (121.9 x 152.4 cm). Courtesy the artist. © Mark Armijo McKnight

This exhibition is on view in the Lobby gallery, accessible to the public free of charge as part of the Whitney Museum’s enduring commitment to supporting and showcasing emerging artists’ most recent work.

Mark Armijo McKnight, Ez Ozel (or: Father Figure), 2023. Gelatin silver print, 48 x 60 in. (121.9 x 152.4 cm). Courtesy the artist. © Mark Armijo McKnight

Mark Armijo McKnight: Decreation is organized by Drew Sawyer, Sondra Gilman Curator of Photography, with Nakai Falcón, Curatorial Assistant.

Review accessibility information before visiting Mark Armijo McKnight: Decreation.

Generous support for Mark Armijo McKnight: Decreation is provided by the John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation.

Additional support is provided by David and Carol Aronowitz, David Dechman and Michel Mercure, Stephanie and Tim Ingrassia, and Graham Steele.

Th exhibition is on view until January 12, 2024. For more information about this exhibition and others at the Whitney Museum of American Art, please visit their website. The museum can also be found on Instagram, YouTube, X, TikTok, Threads, and Facebook.