LESS IS MORE by Knowledge Bennett | ONTO SOMETHING by YoYo Lander

The KNOW Contemporary presents LESS IS MORE by Knowledge Bennett and ONTO SOMETHING by YoYo Lander. Curated by Charles Moore.

Less Is More features five new works by Los Angeles-based contemporary artist Knowledge Bennett, four of which are his largest works to date (one in particular stands at a towering 10ft in height and spans 21ft across). These monumental-sized, shaped canvases are fashioned in Bennett’s minimalist signature style, in which the canvases’ surfaces are enveloped in all-black diamond dust punctuated by lines that form two-dimensional geometric shapes. “While the viewer is limited by the length and width of each piece, the overarching depth creates a viewer kinetic experience not unlike walking into the cosmos, or—as critics note—taking in Vieques, Puerto Rico’s bioluminescent Mosquito Bay,” said Moore. This treatment creates depth and spatiality in the works, which is reinforced by the canvases’ geometric forms. Each of the canvases on view differ in shape, from square, circle, triangle, and rectangle, which in turn serve as symbolic objects that reference both the artist’s interest in spirituality and mathematics.
“Since a child, I’ve associated shapes with the human family,” Bennett said. “A Square for the strength of Man, a Circle for the versatility of Woman, and a Triangle for the acuteness of a Child. Rectangles often felt like the expansion of the village (extended family).”
“Knowledge’s work is particularly arresting, he sees his canvases as inward portraits of Man, Woman, and Child,” said Moore. “He continues to encourage the viewer to go within, further familiarizing themselves with what lies beneath the carefully curated, societal shaped, external facade.”
Onto Something, a survey of nine new 73.25-by-48.75-inch framed pieces by Los Angeles-based contemporary artist YoYo Lander, celebrates the Black figurative form, highlighting the multifaceted and nuanced nature of the Black community. The nine works all depict the same nude model from different perspectives, without ever showing her face; this evokes a sense of vulnerability and allows viewers to contemplate the meaning behind the subject’s body language without the cues given by facial expressions. Lander’s technical process references the multiplicity of narratives within her community: she painstakingly assembles hand-blended pieces of stained watercolor paper to create human forms. To assemble these vibrant portraits, she individually stains several pieces of paper—honoring her love of tie-dye—and subsequently cuts and organizes them into a portrait. In so doing, she infuses her subjects’ skin with a range of stunning brown hues.
“This is something we all have in common: the ability to express ourselves by way of the body,” said Lander. “A person can tell if another is sad by glimpsing their downturned head; one can sense that another might be experiencing heartbreak or that they might be deep in thought based on their countenance or how they carry themselves. It’s a good lesson to see that we are all simply doing what we can to be happy and fulfilled as human beings.”
“This body of work is, above all else, reflective,” said exhibition curator Charles Moore. “YoYo, who takes a storytelling approach in enlivening her subjects, states it’s simply about situations. She sets out to communicate the importance of moving on to higher thinking or breaking free from things that no longer serve us, using the figurative form stripped of clothing and even facial features.”

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