Michael Armitage: Pathos and the Twilight of the Idle - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 3753304093 ISBN 13: 9783753304090

Publisher: Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther Konig, 2024

Synopsis

Rich and radiant, Armitage’s textured paintings on Ugandan bark cloth speak to the change and upheaval of East African society

Michael Armitage (born 1984) makes large-scale oil paintings on lubugo (bark cloth) that possess a seductive artistic beauty. With their expressive figures jutting against shallow, undefined backgrounds, they generate an uneasy atmosphere and appear gloomy, sometimes even disturbing. The British Kenyan painter masterfully interweaves stories and themes from his East African homeland with international artistic traditions. The works brought together in this catalog, Pathos and the Twilight of the Idle, tell of the fragility of various political, social and psychic conditions. In this oversized paperback folio, Armitage’s paintings and drawings are displayed in a large-scale format, inspired by how the works were presented amid the modernist architecture of Kunsthaus Bregenz. Supplementing the illustrations is an extensive conversation between Armitage and Thomas D. Trummer, in which the artist offers deep personal insight into his creative process.

About this title

From the Back Cover

Michael Armitage's large-scale oil paintings on lubugo (bark cloth) possess a seductive artistic beauty. At the same time, they generate an uneasy atmosphere, appear gloomy, sometimes disturbing. The British-Kenyan painter masterfully interweaves stories and themes from his East African homeland with the artistic traditions of Europe and East Africa.
On three floors, the works brought together in the exhibition Pathos and the Twilight of the Idle at Kunsthaus Bregenz tell of the fragility of political, social, and psychic conditions. In a modestly designed publication of exceptional format, the paintings and drawings are shown to advantage on a large scale and displaying their full radiance.
Supplementing the illustrated works is an extensive conversation between Michael Armitage and Thomas D. Trummer, tracing the exhibition's dramaturgy. In it, the artist also offers deep personal insight into the process of creating his works.

Edition details

• Publisher: Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther Konig
• Publication date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3753304093
• ISBN 13: 9783753304090
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 52
• Editor: Trummer Thomas D.