Kai Althoff

Kai Althoff stages ceramic works by modernist potter Bernard Leach in poetical mise-en-scènes at the Whitechapel Gallery

German artist Kai Althoff (born 1966) is renowned as a figurative painter and creator of all-encompassing poetic environments that incorporate textiles, photographs, drawings and artifacts. Althoff draws from a wide range of literary, cultural and artistic influences in his work, and for his unique display at Whitechapel Gallery in London he pays tribute to British potter Bernard Leach (1887–1979), selecting around 20 of Leach’s ceramic vessels and tiles from the 1920s onward to be displayed in specially designed vitrines.

As a counterpoint to Leach’s own work, Althoff presents his own new paintings and sculptural installations, as well as recent pieces that bring together fabrics, found material and paintings inspired by Japonisme.… (mehr)

An eclectic contemporary master of figuration examined through multiple lenses in this career-spanning catalogue

Kai Althoff is one of the most consummate--and unpredictable--artists of his generation. A painter and a draftsman, he has experimented since the mid-1990s with combinations of unconventional mediums and exhibition formats to create all-encompassing environments that might include finely detailed drawings, collage, woven textiles, knitted fabric, soft sculpture, paintings, writing, video, fragrance and song.

Published in conjunction with a major exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art, this publication presents Althoff’s work in all mediums made over a 25-year career. Created in close collaboration with the artist, the book features lavish color reproductions of Althoff’s most significant works. Contributions by scholars, art professionals and friends of the artist offer multiple perspectives on Althoff’s iconographically rich work.… (mehr)