Brisbane artist Sherrie Knipe's latest works in wood

Brisbane artist Sherrie Knipe with work from her latest exhibition. Photo: Andrea Packwood

Air Strips is Brisbane artist Sherrie Knipe's latest exhibition and expresses a preoccupation with the "everyday object in decline".  A bench in a local park, a gate and a clothesline have all captured her attention. Some things fail due to overuse, others due to neglect. Either way, there is beauty in their demise. She has been particularly interested in objects that have strong linear qualities. Her current work is a nod to the economy of line and material, which is, for the most part, made from recycled materials. Air Strips is a diverse body of work with a simple premise: things that can be reduced to a line.

Sherrie Knipe @knipevision is a Brisbane-based sculptor and printmaker. She has exhibited extensively, and her work is found in numerous collections, including QAG, HOTA and the Tweed River Art.

"After years of making sculptures using sheets of veneer bonded together to obtain the width required, I became conscious of the amount of ‘waste’ wood I had accumulated", Knipe said. "Further, I became aware of how much is also mounting in industry. Like many artists who have worked for some time, the goal of simplifying things, starting with material, appealed to me."

"I began to make paper sculptures out of strips of soft paper and sticky tape. I hung them or left them alone so they could fall and droop on their own – a tricky thing for a control freak. But I waited. Simplification was not the sole goal, but also to let go, just a little bit. I was rewarded with something my work had not seen before: serendipity."

"From these paper beginnings, I began to strip up my veneer stash. To supplement my resources, I have a business that allows me to exploit their off-cuts. I take what I find useful and do not concern myself with species – so long as I can get enough of one to make a work, I’m happy! The sculptures that result from this process reflect my interest in seeing the beauty in decline, of aging and in some cases, imply failure. I hope they speak of both fragility and strength and of the space between a busy mind and busy hands."

See Air Strips until 30 August at Cascade Art Concept Gallery, 46 Douglas Street Milton, Brisbane, Australia.
Opening Hours: Wednesday – Friday: 11am – 4 pm; Saturday: 11am – 3pm