John Knight

REDCAT (Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater) was carved out of the parking structure of the Walt Disney Concert Hall (home of LA Philharmonic), and opened its doors in 2003 as CalArts’ downtown venue for contemporary arts. The Gallery at REDCAT was itself an addition to the original plan, which initially only included a multi-purpose performing art center. For his project at REDCAT, John Knight revisits this relationship between the two cohabiting institutions in today’s highly developed “cultural corridor” of downtown Los Angeles, considering the relationship between space, architecture, contemporary arts and real estate.

Since the late 1960s, Los Angeles-based artist John Knight has pioneered the practices of site-specificity and institutional critique, always interested in interrogating the underlying geopolitical and economic systems implicit in everyday convention. Eschewing a signature style, Knight prefers to work in situ, engaging with and responding to the context of each unique site. Often utilizing the visual strategies of architecture, advertising, and corporate design, Knight’s multilayered projects challenge the art establishment and its relationship to a larger global context.

Organized by Sohrab Mohebbi, associate curator, Gallery at REDCAT

This exhibition is made possible by generous support from Karyn Kohl. Additional support provided by Greene Naftali Gallery.


The Gallery at REDCAT focuses on experimentation through new commissions that often represents the artist’s first major presentation in the US or Los Angeles. The exhibition program ventures to cross-pollinate shared concepts and critical discourses that connect art to other fields in service of an interdisciplinary program. Using different scales and temporary structures, the exhibition formats are flexible and constantly reformulated. 

Gallery at REDCAT is open Tuesdays through Sundays from noon to 6pm or until intermission. It is closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission to the Gallery at REDCAT is always free.

REDCAT is located at the corner of W. 2nd and Hope Streets, inside the Walt Disney Concert Hall complex in downtown Los Angeles.