Michael Kirkham

Aschenbach & Hofland Galleries
Bilderdijkstraat 165 c
1053 KP Amsterdam, Nederland

Michael Kirkham
8/10/2005 - 12/11/2005


Kirkham paints figurative scenes portraying a girl, young boy or woman in the seclusion of an interior. Like a voyeur, Kirkham shows us with the paralysed languor that seems to permeate his figures. The tension within his scenes hinges on the imminent approach or absence of the other.
In Kirkham’s new work, the absence of the other is heightened as the figures surrender to unashamed erotic pleasures. Their poses are unconcealed moments of ecstatic abandonment to someone who is outside our range of vision or, as in ‘Girl in Graveyard’, is dead and buried.

A great sense of urgency resonates throughout Kirkham’s work; a sense of necessity that, confronted with a painting, we cannot evade. Kirkham’s work reflects a view of reality that is at once raw and realistic, but stems from his imagination. Although the scenes and personages may be invented, they have a compelling immediate link to everyday life. In his handling of the paint – rich impasto layers - Kirkham reveals the struggle he engages in to create the images.

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translation by babelfish

the Volkskrant
Xandra the Jongh
19 October 2005

On a green sofa the leaning woman extends its naked buttocks pontificaal to the kijker. Its nudity can be with difficulty differently understood than such as pronounced sexual, but on the large painting it is an attitude which has been weaned of geilheid. The apparently provocative pose is no party for absolute trouble read which in the eyes of the woman is. There here are I, do but what distils, thus you from that unfathomable empty can. The painting of Michael Kirkham (1971) seems ' complete we are now, entertain US ' flesh-become to the imagination of aartsnihilistische the hartenkreet of nirvana zanger Kurt Cobain. Cobain interpreted with its number Smells like toe spirit at the beginning of the years ninety if the no other one feelings of a generation for which to living nothing else to offer had then a allesvernietigende trouble. The Generation X - Nix-generatie. Not that Cobain or this generation had a patent on these absolute, existential trouble with total apathy as a consequence.

Charles Baudelaire du mal from 1857 were of course the founder of this feeling of zwaarmoedigheid with its poem cord lesson fleurs. The painted world which the British artist promises us, has been impregnated of such, a allesverzengende, melancholie. In its large doeken stare lusteloze, apathetic women in bald interieurs in total nothing. Their long, straight her hangs just as lethargic and lijzig along a bed or bank draped as their bodies. A cigarette smouldering spreads out them carelessly their legs. It provides explicit pictures on, but the vacant situation of the women prevents oprisping of voyeurism at the kijker every gênante. What the work this way makes intriguing, is that wát become uitgebeeld in perfect harmonie are with hóe it are uitgebeeld. Michael Kirkham do not belong to those vele contemporary artists who paint for painting himself. Matter, style and topic have been linked at him inextricable. Thus lijzige of the women is schilderkunstige equivalent in the frosted, heavy painting regions finds it. And the poor environment of the interieurs is emphasised by the granulous ophopingen of painting, which reflect the grey substance flakes under the bank or roffelige the pieces of a cheap moquette. This figured out interaction between style and contents makes smoking cigarette and the ongetitelde work of the woman on the green sofa absolute top press of doeken such as East European girl. How the personages of Kirkham themselves are annoyed also, the kijker does not touch in any case fast on them looked out.

Copyright: Jongh, Xandra

As from 8 October Aschenbach show & court country new works of the English painter Michael Kirkham (1971 Blackpool). Kirkham graduated in 1999, to the work shops in Amsterdam. After 3 years in Brussels for working and work Kirkham live now in Berlin. Its oeuvre betstaat meanwhile from more than hundred impressive paintings. In its figurative work Kirkham imagined loneliness and like in mainly women - and little girl characters.

Next year a retrospectief of its work will see being in the municipality museum in The Hague. Kirkham paints figurative scenes portraying a girl, young boy or woman in the seclusion or an interior. Like a voyeur, Kirkham shows US with the paralysed languor that seems to permeate his figures. The tension within his scenes hinges on the imminent approach or absence or the other. In Kirkham's new work, the absence or the other are heightened ash the figures surrender to unashamed erotic pleasures. Their poses are unconcealed moment or ecstatic abandonment to someone WHO are outside our range or vision or, ash in ` Girl in Graveyard, is dead and buried. A great sense or urgency resonates throughout Kirkham's work; a sense or necessity that, confronted with a painting, we cannot evade. Kirkham's work reflects a view or reality that is once ate raw and realistic, but stems from his imagination. Although the scenes and personages may be invented, they property a compelling immediate risky to everyday life. In his handling or the paint - rich impasto layers - Kirkham reveals the struggle he engages in to create the images. Kirkham paint figurative scenes in which a little girl, a boy or a woman in the beslotenheid of privé-ruimte are portrayed. If a voyeur shows to Kirkham us the paralysing weakness to which is characters delivers himself. The alignment of the another one or correctly absence of this is true it for twists in its scenes. In its new work this absence of the other one has been accentuated because the characters deliver themselves to impudent geilheid. Their poses are nothing nothing-veiling moments of ecstatic dispossession to someone who is not on the screen, not present are, or is buried like in the painting Girl in Graveyard, dead and. In Kirkhams work talk of a large urgency, a necessity is to which, can be escaped faced with a painting, not to. Kirkham give a vision on reality which is raw and realistic but originates from its imagination. The scenes and personages have been invented but have an direct link with living everyday. The intensive painting treatment is rich, pasteus and shows the worsteling with the production of show. In the tentoonstelling also sculpturen which Kirkham proved in the European ceramisch institute he beginning this year three months stayed, have been incorporated.
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