_Art Basel’s ‘Meet the artists’ series presents contemporary creatives shaping today’s cultural landscape_
In this episode of ‘Meet the artists,’ we journey to Nairobi to meet Michael Armitage, a Kenya-born British painter whose work weaves together East African history, folklore, and current events with Western painting traditions. ‘I try not to be too defined and prescriptive over the type of subjects that I will engage with,’ he says in the film. ‘Often they are positions I don’t have a clear moral attitude on […] they’re points of contention.’ His subject matter, coupled with his vibrant palette and use of Lubugo bark cloth – a traditional cloth by the Baganda people of southern Uganda which Armitage uses as a canvas – result in narratively rich and visually complex works.
Beyond his practice, Armitage actively fosters the growth of East African art. In 2020, he founded the Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI), a non-profit that promotes contemporary art from the region. Through the institute, Armitage is committed to bringing Kenyan art to a broader audience and creating opportunities for emerging local artists. The endeavor mirrors the ethos of his work – a drive to challenge narratives, question norms, and explore the convergence of different cultures.
Michael Armitage is represented by White Cube (London, Hong Kong, Palm Beach, New York, Seoul) and David Zwirner (New York, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Paris). His exhibition ‘Pathos and the Twilight of the Idle’ will be on view at Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria from July 15 – October 29, 2023.
Production Company: 199xorg
Director: Michael Mwangi
Producer / DoP: Fred Odede
Editor: Rango Musau
Colorist: Enos Olik
1st AC / Focus Puller: Ben Kiilu
Sound Op: Grishon Onyango
Gaffer: Joseph Churu
Best Boy: Victor Wangalwa
Lighting Assistant: Josephine Wanjiru
Grip/Spark: Ken Omutimba
Grip Assistant: Fredrick Ochieng
Production Assistants: Kennedy Omondi, Dalton Odiyo
Driver: Vincent Omega
Art Basel
Executive Editor: Coline Milliard
Senior Editor: Alicia Reuter
Video Commissioner and Creative Producer: Jeanne-Salomé Rochat
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