PUNCTUM

I have always enjoyed artworks that transport you in some way, works that reveal ideas, make you reposition your own associations and leave your train of thought far from where it started. Jill’s work does this in a very relatable way, there is a directness to Jill’s writing and artwork, it has the rare ability to wrangle and order seemingly disparate and effacing everyday objects, experiences and materials to talk about personal and family histories in a uniquely playful and open manner. 

 

On The House was an invitation on my part to try and initiate more direct and long-lasting relationships between artists. I was hoping to create an event that allowed Jill to open up their work and ideas to others in an intimate, generative way, and in return get useful and engaged feedback. I think the generosity of this exchange over an evening of food and drink prepared by Jill’s parents is what made it so successful and disarming compared to a typical exhibition of works.  

 

Six years later I now hope the various parts of Jill’s edition can find their own place within your home, slotted into books, stuck on fridges and secreted around the home. When you rediscover these pieces, I urge you to cook the food, have a drink and listen to Jill’s dad whilst doing so. I hope this experience will be the start of some more interesting conversations.

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Ian Jackson, September 2023

 

On The House was an event on Friday 16 June 2017 at the invitation of the artist Ian Jackson, taking place at his then home in London. McKnight presented new text works to an invited audience of 10 people, discussed over dinner and drinks chosen and pre-prepared by her parents.

 

Focusing on the different physical spaces we inhabit during different chapters of our lives, the exhibition at Serf presents documentation of the event and its preparation to reflect on the project over six years after it took place. Works explore how we use our memories of the houses we have lived in when, for one reason or another, we no longer have access to them. The project was formative for McKnight’s subsequent work, which is often preoccupied with ideas of home.

 

Since 2017, a multicomponent limited edition of 30 has been intermittently worked on as a legacy of the project and this is available to coincide with the exhibition. An edition can be purchased for £20.