This publication accompanies Lynda Benglis' exhibition Knots and Videotapes 1972- 1976 at Thomas Dane Gallery in London, 8 May-27 July 2024. The exhibition presents two fundamental aspects of Benglis' oeuvre, the titular "knot" sculptures and video works, shown together decades after they were first seen in the U.S. in the 1970s.
Benglis' knotted sculptures comprise long tubular pieces of wire mesh covered with cotton bunting and plaster, which are variously embellished with paint, glitter, and other metallic coatings. These are displayed alongside single-channel video works that layer space, image, and time, often exploring autobiographical subjects and the Self. Together, both mediums demonstrate Benglis' commitment to experimentation and to technological and material innovation, epitomising how the artist continually pushes the boundaries of traditional painting and sculpture, and interrogates the aesthetic conventions of her time.
With an essay by Rose Higham-Stainton, titled 'The Hot Middle', the works are described "in cahoots" as they each negotiate issues of gender, identity, and representation, all through a sustained process of looping.