Savannah Knoop

Savannah Knoop (born 1981) is an American artist and filmmaker.[1] From 1999 to 2005, Knoop performed the public role of literary hoax JT Leroy.

Savannah Knoop
Savannah Knoop
Born1981 (age 41–42)
San Francisco, California, United States
EducationVirginia Commonwealth University
Known forSculpture, film, writing

Early life

Knoop grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, born to artist and acupuncturist Sharon Hennessey, and documentary filmmaker and cinematographer, John Knoop.[2] Knoop was the youngest of five half siblings.[2] Knoop attended high school at Westover, an all girls boarding school in Connecticut. From 1999 to 2001, Knoop attended City College of San Francisco.

Portrayal of JT LeRoy

In 1999 writer Laura Albert, then-partner of Knoop's brother, asked Knoop to play her fictional persona JT LeRoy. Knoop embodied JT LeRoy in all public appearances for the next six years. After the literary scandal was unveiled in the NY Times in 2005, Seven Stories Press published Knoop's memoir in 2007 titled Girl Boy Girl: How I Became JT LeRoy cataloguing their experiences of playing their sister-in-law's writing persona and avatar JT LeRoy.[2] With director Justin Kelly, they adapted it into the feature-length film JT Leroy, starring Kristen Stewart, Laura Dern, Jim Sturgess, and Diane Kruger, released by Universal Pictures in April 2019.[3]

Career

In 2001, Knoop founded the clothing line Tinc[2] with Parachati Pattajotti, creative partner, architect and restaurateur. In 2006, Knoop's sister Hennessey Knoop joined as head of sales for their company. Tinc ran until 2009 and sold to stores such as Modern Appealing Clothing and Takashimaya. After folding Tinc, Knoop moved to New York. They finished their bachelor's degree in the fall of 2013 at CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies under the mentorship of Vito Acconci.[4] In 2014 they went on to their MFA at Virginia Commonwealth University: Sculpture + Extended Media.[5] Movement is an essential part of Knoop's practice. Knoop has studied dance and martial arts for over twenty years. Knoop studies Brazilian jiu-jitsu under the tutelage of Marcelo Garcia in New York.

Knoop, who identifies as gender non-conforming,[6] has shown and performed at the Whitney,[7] MoMA,[8] the ICA Philadelphia, the Leslie-Lohman Museum,[9] Movement Research,[10] and Essex Flowers gallery.[11] They have collaborated and performed live with artists such as Simone Forti,[12] A.K. Burns,[13] Math Bass and Lauren Davis Fisher,[14] Gordon Hall,[15] Geo Wyeth,[16] Nica Ross, Nicole Killian, Jules Gimbrone,[17] Niv Acosta, Elizabeth Orr, Robert Wilson, and Laura Albert. From 2010 to 2016 they threw the party, WOAHMONE, with Nica Ross and Nathann Carerra.

Selected works
  • Tripod Sweep (2019)[18]
  • SCREENS, a project about "community" (2019)[19]
  • Nosferatu on the Beach (2018)[20]
  • Heads and Tails (2016)[21]

Collaborations
  • Small Town Sex Shop (2015)[22]
  • WOAHMONE (2009-2016)[23]

References
  1. "A Trip to the Russian Baths with Artist and Now Filmmaker Savannah Knoop". Cultured Magazine. 2019-02-21. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  2. Vernon, Polly (November 1, 2008). "This is the woman who played the man who became a transsexual and fooled the world for six years". The Observer. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  3. Dargis, Manohla (April 25, 2019). "'J.T. LeRoy' Review: Unpeeling the Layers of an All-American Hoax". The New York Times. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  4. "CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary StudiesCUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies". Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  5. "Savannah Knoop featured in BOMB interview". VCUarts. 2019-01-30. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  6. Freeman, Hadley (2019-04-23). "My life as JT LeRoy: Savannah Knoop on playing the great literary hoaxer". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  7. "Math Bass and Lauren Davis Fisher: Quiet Work In Session". www.whitney.org. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  8. "The Everyday Life of Simone Forti's Dance Constructions | Magazine". www.moma.org. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  9. "Queer Artists in Their Own Words: Savannah Knoop Is an Intimacy Hound". Hyperallergic. 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  10. Studio, Familiar (2019-06-22). "Savannah Knoop". Movement Research. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  11. "The Artist Savannah Knoop, Who Spent Six Years Posing as Literary Wunderkind JT LeRoy, Has a New Gallery Show". artnet News. 2019-01-22. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  12. "The Everyday Life of Simone Forti's Dance Constructions | Magazine". www.moma.org. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  13. "Body Politic: From Rights to Resistance: Session Two". www.newmuseum.org. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  14. "Math Bass and Lauren Davis Fisher: Quiet Work In Session". www.whitney.org. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  15. "The Drawing Center | New York, NY | Events | Past Public Programs | Walkthrough and Reading". www.drawingcenter.org. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  16. "I Am Serious Man @ Human Resources · art weekend LA". art weekend LA. 2013-01-04. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  17. "Savannah Knoop — PROJECTS". PACK PROJECTS. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  18. "Leslie-Lohman Museum". www.leslielohman.org. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  19. Vogel, Wendy (2019-04-01). "Savannah Knoop". Art in America. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  20. "A Trip to the Russian Baths with Artist and Now Filmmaker Savannah Knoop". Cultured Magazine. 2019-02-21. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  21. Larkey, Molly (March 8, 2017). "Savannah Knoop at Artist Curated Projects". Contemporary Art Review. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  22. "Katherine Hubbard & Savannah Knoop: Small Town Sex Shop". Recess Art. 2 July 2015.
  23. Wender, Jessie (2013-04-10). "A Different Kind of Order: The I.C.P. Triennial". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
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