Mark Armijo McKnight: Decreation

Through Jan 12

White clouds against a black background, with one large cloud on the right and a smaller one on the left.
White clouds against a black background, with one large cloud on the right and a smaller one on the left.

Mark Armijo McKnight, Clouds (Decreation), 2024. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 20 in. (40.6 x 50.8 cm). Courtesy the artist. © Mark Armijo McKnight

On view
Floor 1, Free Lobby Gallery

Open: Aug 24, 2024–Jan 12, 2025

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.  

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: 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.

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The Black Place (ii), 2024

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The Black Place (ii), 2024

A black and white photograph of eroded, textured rock formations resembling waves or folds, creating a dramatic and rugged landscape.
A black and white photograph of eroded, textured rock formations resembling waves or folds, creating a dramatic and rugged landscape.

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

By drawing on sources ranging from art history to ancient mythology to social philosophy, Armijo McKnight layers his photographs with metaphor. The photograph The Black Place (ii), in which the contours of an eroded landscape evoke bodily forms, takes its title from the name that the artist Georgia O’Keeffe gave to her favorite painting site near Nageezi, New Mexico, which she said looked like “a mile of elephants.”

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White clouds against a black background, with one large cloud on the right and a smaller one on the left.
White clouds against a black background, with one large cloud on the right and a smaller one on the left.

Mark Armijo McKnight, Clouds (Decreation), 2024. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 20 in. (40.6 x 50.8 cm). Courtesy the artist. © Mark Armijo McKnight

Hear directly from artists and curators on selected works from the exhibition.

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On the Hour

A 30-second online art project:
Maya Man, A Realistic Day In My Life Living In New York City

Learn more about this project

Learn more at whitney.org/artport

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