First Solo Exhibition in Austria

He chooses the bark of the Ugandan fig tree - stripped, burned and smoothed, it transforms into a soft, stretchy fabric called »Lubugo«. The British-Kenyan artist  Michael Armitage (*1984) sews small pieces of the raw material into a large one, similar to a patchwork quilt. Blank spaces and »scars« remain visible under the layers of paint, which he scrapes off and paints over.

The Kunsthaus Bregenz is dedicating a solo exhibition to him, Pathos and the Twilight of the Idle, beginning July 15. It shares its title with a work from 2019: at its center is a man (read: male) striding toward the viewer, ready to fight, carrying tear gas and twists in his five hands and mounted on what appears to be an inappropriate bra. In the lower part of the picture, very present: a crowd of people, conspicuously dressed, waving a large flag, looking in different directions. At the top of the picture, one stumbles – whether it is a fresco or an altar is not quite clear, but the structure is clearly familiar as Christian ecclesiastical symbolism. Indeed, the central image, a dead man lying in state, is probably an allusion to Holbein's The Body of Christ in the Tomb (1521/22). Thus, Armitages painted a picture that thematically refers to the situation after a rally of Kenya's largest opposition party in 2017 in Nairobi, his birthplace.

The picture already clearly shows what the artist exploits in his work: his focus is on everyday political themes and religious imagery. The paintings are »colorful, proliferating, and moving« and thrive on »complementary contrasts - such as yellow and purple or salmon pink and green,« according to the Kunsthaus Bregenz. The people, who often cavort close to the edge of the picture, invert the perspective and thus the power relations. Armitage is also inspired by images and videos from social media. He skillfully weaves into his works topics that are usually avoided in public, such as perceived weaknesses, emotions, and psychological problems. Interested visitors can look forward to Michael Armitage – Pathos and the Twilight of the Idle at the Kunsthaus Bregenz, the first comprehensive solo exhibition of the British-Kenyan painter in Austria. It runs until October 29.