Karen Knorr, The King’s Reception, Château de Chambord, 2006, from the series Fables © Karen Knorr

Karen Knorr Inhabits the Castle is a retrospective of the artist’s work on show at Chateau d’Azay-le-Rideau this summer.

The exhibition features some forty photographs representative of Karen Knorr’s artistic work, drawn from the series Belgravia (1979–1981), Gentlemen (1981–1983), Country Life (1983–1985), Connoisseurs (1986– 1990), Academies (1994–2005), Fables (2003–2008), and India Song (2008–2011). It is complemented by an installation of taxidermy specimens that relate to the photographs and the décor of the castle’s rooms.

By moving into the Château d’Azay-le-Rideau, Karen Knorr continues her investigation into the habitat/inhabitant relationship. At Azay, most visitors are drawn by the architectural richness, but they also seek a bygone way of life. To this end, the arrangement of furniture and collections satisfies the public’s quest by helping them imagine daily life as it once was. Knorr joins this process. She does not come to disrupt the established order but rather, through a play of resonances, to make it easier to read. As an ephemeral “lady of the manor,” she adds her own objects and personal universe to the site’s memory without taking anything away. Thus, within the dense fabric of works and furniture already present, she weaves in pieces from forty years of work.

For practical information about visiting Chateau d’Azay-le-Rideau please go to the direct link.