A travelling exhibition, presented in collaboration with Kunsthaus Bregenz, brings drawing, lithography, and sculpture into conversation in Nairobi.
LEFT TO RIGHT: Michael Armitage, Vision II (detail), 2022. Lithograph on paper, 70 x 59cm. Maria Lassnig, Shooted Star (detail), 1996. Pencil on paper, 44 x 60.3cm. © Maria Lassnig Foundation, photo: Roland Krauss. Chelenge Van Rampelberg, I Just Want to Be Your Friend (detail), 2008. Ink on woodcut plate, 112 x 79.8cm.
The Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI), in collaboration with Kunsthaus Bregenz (KUB), presents ‘Michael Armitage, Maria Lassnig, Chelenge Van Rampelberg’, a group exhibition bringing together three distinct yet interconnected artistic practices. First presented at Kunsthaus Bregenz in 2025, the exhibition arrives in Nairobi for its second iteration, extending an intergenerational and transcontinental dialogue.
The presentation marks the first time works by both Michael Armitage and Maria Lassnig have been shown in Nairobi. Featuring drawings and lithographs by Armitage, drawings by Lassnig and prints and sculptures by Chelenge Van Rampelberg, the exhibition foregrounds shared concerns around corporeality, vulnerability and the human condition.
Influence, lineage and artistic affinity
The exhibition was conceived through conversations between Michael Armitage and KUB Director Thomas D. Trummer during preparations for Armitage’s 2023 exhibition at Kunsthaus Bregenz. Armitage’s long-standing regard for Maria Lassnig and his relationship with Chelenge Van Rampelberg, whom he considers both mentor and friend, inform the selection of works. The project is thus shaped not only by thematic affinities but also by personal and professional lineages.
Across their practices, the three artists share a sustained engagement with the body as a site of perception, feeling and belonging. Though developed in different geographies and at different times, their works converge around questions of how physical experience structures human existence.
Corporeality and lived experience
Michael Armitage contributes watercolours that navigate political tension, pain and tenderness, rendered in warm sepia tones that balance technical precision with emotional sensitivity. His layered washes and carefully articulated shadows construct spaces that appear both fragile and animated.
Maria Lassnig’s practice, developed over decades, centres on bodily sensation and perception. Rather than presenting the body as a stable external form, Lassnig renders it as a site of lived experience shaped by memory, biography and internal states.
Chelenge Van Rampelberg is represented through woodcuts and wooden sculptures, including male heads with pursed mouths and upright female figures that convey intimacy and relational sensitivity. Throughout her practice, softened contours and restrained gestures evoke connections among human beings, nature, and the living world.
Institutional collaboration and local context
At NCAI, the exhibition situates this artistic dialogue within Nairobi, extending its relevance to both local and international audiences. The project is presented in partnership with Kunsthaus Bregenz, the Maria Lassnig Foundation, the Federal Ministry of Austria and the Austrian Embassy Mission in Nairobi.
Founded in 2020, the Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute is dedicated to the growth and preservation of contemporary art in East Africa, supporting exhibitions, archival development and public programming. This presentation continues NCAI’s commitment to situating regional practice within broader global art histories.
‘Michael Armitage, Maria Lassnig, Chelenge Van Rampelberg’ opens at the Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute, Nairobi, on 19 February 2026 and runs until 5 April 2026. For more information, please visit Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute.
