COULD NOT BE SOLD REGULARLY

The practice of Vincent Knopper investigates the artistic potential of non-artistic, functional materials used in furniture, exhibition-design and architecture. His works, mainly sculptures, are the result of a thorough process of making that is focused on the transformation of mass produced materials such as chipboard panels and acrylic sheets into sculptural components.

One of his interests is the idea of irregularity within the context of mass production. Irregularities, either in the form of context or material manipulation is often the starting point for a series of works. For the occasion for could not be sold regularly Knopper searched in depot-sales, stock auctions and other markets for discarded, misfit cabinets. He started to collect models that got removed from the catalog, that where used as show model or that for any other reason could not be sold regularly and therefore shifted from commodity to rare item. Harvestings from the collected furniture, such as doors, shelves and sides, were joined into one large sheet, to then be cut and glued to the sculptures here on display.

In the space that is used for the presentation of his sculptural works, Knopper also performed a small set of renovations such as painting and wood repairs. He states that the renovations are not a performance and the result will not be presented as an artwork. Bringing together his artistic practice and non-artistic work forms part of a larger ongoing research. He questions how those practices inform each other and how they create a context, especially when unfolding in the same space. In the context of Art au Centre the renovations are also a direct reference to the exhibition-format, which is to revitalize the city-center of Liège by showing art.