Michael Armitage's Dual Exhibitions Explore Kenyan Roots and Artistic Lineage

Michael Armitage presents two concurrent exhibitions showcasing his distinctive paintings on Ugandan bark cloth. At London's Royal Academy, 'Paradise Edict' features 15 works from the past seven years, including pieces like 'Mydas' (2019), which reinterprets Ovid's myth through the lens of contemporary Kenyan drought. This exhibition originated at Munich's Haus der Kunst and includes an auxiliary section curated by the Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute, highlighting six East African painters: Asaph Ng'ethe Macua, Elimo Njau, Jak Katarikawe, Theresa Musoke, Sane Wadu, and Meek Gichugu. Simultaneously, Copenhagen's Glyptotek hosts 'Account of an Illiterate Man,' placing Armitage's paintings alongside historical works by Manet, Goya, Gauguin, and Berthe Morisot. Born in Nairobi in 1984 to a Kenyan mother and English father, Armitage studied at London's Royal Academy Schools and the Slade, now alternating his base between Nairobi and London. His art merges influences from East African artists, European masters like Titian and El Greco, mythology, and political events, such as Kenya's 2017 elections depicted in 'The Fourth Estate.' Armitage emphasizes painting as a subjective encounter rather than a legible narrative, citing an El Greco exhibition where he ignored labels as formative. The Royal Academy show runs through 19 September, while the Glyptotek exhibition is on view from 6 June to 17 October.