These collages, created from 3 centuries of photography and set in the mid 19th century American South, reference portraiture from both European court paintings and early American folk art. The cryptic stories of the characters depicted are unriddled by symbolism, giving insight into themes of survival, nature, sexuality, race, spirituality, and death. The rigid poses, pensive expressions, formal attire, lush landscapes and architectural ruins from 19th century photography become the elements I use to construct these pieces - fragments that I combine with pieces from my own photography.
David Knox has traveled throughout the American South documenting the region for 30 years. His current work combines his photography with historic imagery to create photo collages in the realm of historical fiction.
Knox completed his MFA at the San Francisco Art Institute in 2005 and his work has been shown in galleries and museums throughout the South. In 2019 he was awarded Fine Art Photographer of the Year by the International Photography Awards. He has taught photography since 1996 and is represented by Cole Pratt Gallery in New Orleans.
Awards Finalist, Critical Mass 200. August, 2021
International Photography Awards 2019, Fine Art Photographer of the Year; New York, 2019
International Photography Awards 2019, First Place Fine Art Collage, The Lost Prophets series; New York, 2019
San Francisco Bay International Competition, Pigeonnier winner of a Gold Award and the Lost Prophets series winner of a Portfolio Award; 2019
LensCulture Visual Storytelling Awards, 2019. Finalist, Imaginative Storytelling
The Ogden Museum of Southern Art, winner of the Helis Foundation Art Prize, The Louisiana Contemporary, Best in Show, The Fall of Leviticus, 2018
