At Whitechapel Gallery in East London, the German painter Kai Althoff’s exhibition pays homage to the British Potter Bernard Leach’s (1887-1979) influence on his practice.
Althoff (b. 1966) wishes for his paintings to function like Leach’s pots. His practice is centered on a spirituality, which he channels into his objects: “things to look at and immerse oneself in when all words fail, imagery to worship and degrade…” Francia Gimbel-Masters (A fictional spokesperson for the Workshop, Althoff's band) Althoff sees Leach’s pots as similar ‘vessels’ for Faith, and admires that their form reveals their function harking back to the Arts & Crafts movement in Britain, in the 19th century. In Althoff’s totalizing exhibition design, staged in three galleries, the viewer is encouraged not only to appreciate the particular in his paintings, but also to embrace…
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