Derek Knight

Biography

Derek Knight, has been on faculty in the department since 1985. He was educated at Croydon College of Art, London, England, Carleton University, the University of British Columbia and State University of New York at Buffalo. Currently he teaches courses in 20th century European and North American art history, contemporary art and theory, and contributes to the MA program in Studies in Comparative Literatures and Arts. In addition to his own production of photo-based, conceptual and site-specific art and participation in more than thirty group shows, Knight has developed a profile as an independent curator.

Research Interest

Knight’s research focuses on the interstices between public space and the emerging ecologies of post-studio art. In 2007, he was invited to curate Re-envisioning Habitat at Oakville Galleries, which brought together leading contemporary Canadian artists in a re-conceptualization of natural and urban geography.His studio work has evolved from large format photography to installation and public or site specific projects and among his more notable invitations: an inaugural commission under the guise of Art Industria in 2000 for the new Niagara-on-the Lake campus of Niagara College, participation in Power to the People at the Contemporary Art Forum, Kitchener and Area (CAFKA) in 2002, and under the guise of the Great Lakes Research Institute, participation in Ice Follies, the biannual site-specific project in North Bay in 2008.