Publisher's Synopsis
Accompanying his first major retrospective in the UK, this beautifully-produced catalogue documents recent and new work by German-born artist Kai Althoff presented together with ceramics by Bernard Leach, selected by Althoff.
Kai Althoff (b. 1966 Cologne) is renowned as a figurative painter and creator of poetic mises-en-scène, all-encompassing 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 he will pay tribute to British potter Bernard Leach (1887-1979), selecting around twenty of Leach's ceramic vessels and tiles from the 1920s onwards to be displayed in specially designed vitrines. As a counterpoint to Leach's own work, Althoff will present his own new paintings and sculptural installations, as well as recent pieces which bring together fabrics, found material and paintings inspired by Japonisme.
This unique publication, created in close collaboration with Kai Althoff, will include installation photography of the exhibition, as well as a new interview with Althoff and commissioned writing on the work of both Althoff and Leach.
The exhibition will coincide with the centenary of the Leach Pottery in St. Ives, founded in 1920 and considered to be the birthplace of British studio pottery.
