Michael Armitage (b. 1984, Nairobi, Kenya)

Mydas

2019, oil on lubugo bark cloth, 220 x 170 cm. 

Photo by White Cube. Courtesy of the artist and White Cube. ©Michael Armitage.

Midas was a mythical king who prayed to the gods that everything he touched would turn to gold. When his wish was granted, he realised it was in fact a curse because even the food he touched became gold. Armitage’s story is set in Northern Kenya, an area which often experiences terrible drought.  Here, Armitage says, “you could almost imagine somebody trying to give up everything for a solution—no matter how complicated and problematic…”

READ ABOUT THE BACKGROUND HERE…

Midas, is a figure from the 8th century poet Ovid’s famous epic, Metamorphoses, a collection of fantastical stories which have inspired many artists over the centuries. Even if Midas has become shorthand for greed, Armitage feels that “he’s probably one of the most hopeful figures in the whole book” 

Armitage shows us the moment in Ovid’s story where the king, having been told he’ll get what he wants if he bathes in wine, is having the alcohol poured over him from a giant cup. In the background we see a dusty landscape by night, with ghostly figures sitting helplessly on the ground while cheetahs prowl. 

Applying the paint in layers, Armitage scrapes, revises and repaints his compositions, contrasting the rich colours of this context with the harsh realities of the life of many Kenyans. This creates beautiful but nightmarish images which, like Goya’s, blend the everyday with the absurd.