Knoxville Tell-All: Anonymous Confessional
Review of Anonymous, divulged secrets interpreted into art by Jon Pemberton, March 2025.
“I eat spaghetti in the shower with no fork.”
Such are the wise words shared in anonymity to Jon Pemberton, who sought out such devious confessions like this over the last year. His show, “Anonymous” at Maryville College contained over 30 secrets shared in confidence to John. Some of them ranged from inane things, such as “I’m going to eat 2 pop tarts tonight” to heartfelt admissions of sexuality, which in this day should not still be considered as a shameful secret, to heart-wrenching, devastating truths about dark family pasts. To solicit this information, Pemberton posted mysterious calls for anonymous secrets all over Knoxville, with the simple request to “tell me your secrets.”
In the resulting narrative paintings, Pemberton utilized wood and pressboard to create a flat cut, but 3D composition, layering wood and illustration on top of his rough frames. The naked pine wood with bumps and scrapes aligned with the raw quality of the exhibition’s theme. The emotional edges are bare and damaged.
A special aspect of Pemberton's work is his inclusion of interactive elements. Some of the paintings have doors or pieces that can be manipulated by the viewer. In one work, family photos are hidden away behind hinged windows. Another darker piece about a child's traumatic experience of being locked in their room every weekend by their parents has a half closed door held tight by a padlock, the key just out of reach.
Locked Away
Pemberton cuts deep into the human experience, with such anonymity providing the safety for such deep confessions. The words hold no party line and are neutral as to who shared these secrets, bringing together humanity in an understandable way. We all have things done that we would rather not tell others. And with many of those secrets, we suffer alone. Most of the secrets were not, in fact, horrible things about the person themselves, but rather horrible things which happened to them. For years, they carried that secret with them, bearing it on their shoulders alone.
“I’ve attempted suicide and lived and know one knew.”
“I cry a lot in the shower.”
Broken Glasses
Each of the figures' eyes were blacked out and censored by a black strip of Velcro, to further hide their identity. The use of Velcro is curious and seems to imply that another might rip it away and tear open the truth.
The color palette for this series was pastel with pops of blood red, which created a strangely underwhelming sense for the overall work. Their softness is set in contrast from the perceived harmlessness of a hazy memory next to a jarring statement. Each piece's story brings a more powerful impact to the illustrations.
One of the most impressive pieces is a woman in the shower. Pemberton placed the figure behind a misted plexiglass, which creates a realistic effect of a steamed up shower with the condensation dripping on the window. The person is huddled shamefully behind it.
A hallmark of Pemberton’s work is the moveable elements for viewer interaction. The replica of a grandmother’s house includes hinged doors and windows which open to family photos. The anonymous storyteller, after the passing of their grandmother, would look at the house on Zillow just to relive their memories.
Pemberton's show unveils the best and worst of people, exhibiting something truly human that allows for connection, despite not knowing each other. It took a degree of trust for these sources to reveal their stories, although not even Pemberton himself knows who they belong to.
“I am infected with literally every STD under the sun and I have never told anyone. I have probably gotten about 30 girls infected in the last few years and as bad as I feel, I keep doing it.”
We listen and we don’t judge? I think not.
Some other confessions included:
“I stole my ex-girlfriend’s dog and snuck it on the megabus in a duffle bag. The bus stopped in some random city between here and Nashville and I let the dog out of the duffle bag. It ran off and I never saw it again.”
“I feel like I constantly fail every day and continue to be very hard on myself when I put on a happy face and claim to love myself.”
“I really wanna be a cat but I don’t feel safe sharing that with my family.”
“I had to pee real bad one day and stopped at a gas station to use the bathroom. The bathroom was full and it was an emergency, so I peed behind the gas station. This was the first “bad” thing I had ever done. I became addicted to the thrill of peeing behind this gas station. Every time I passed this gas station, I felt the need to pee behind it. I have had to re-route my way home from work so I don’t pass it. Still, I find myself being drawn to my new addiction of public urination.”
“I’m trans, and some people know, but my mamaw, who I love more than life itself, presumably doesn’t know.”
“I feel like an imposter in my own skin.”
Pemberton is known as Knox Found Art on Instagram, and practices the concept of free public art, hidden in places around the city for anyone who finds it to own. His engagement in the community shows his commitment to fostering compelling relationships between strangers.
Viewers of this show connected with the material so deeply that they were compelled to share their own secrets in his guest book.
Anonymous showed at Maryville College’s Clayton Center for the Arts during March 2025.
