iPalazzo GrassiSan Marco
Michael Armitage. The Promise of Change
45 paintings and over 100 studies by the Kenyan-British painter, whose works on Ugandan bark cloth weave East African politics, violence, migration and dreamlike visions.
More in Venice
In a room overlooking the Grand Canal, a mother and child rise in a spiral on a round canvas, like Tiepolo's ascending figures, except that, as Slow Venice noticed, the woman "seems to be struggling to rise". The room is about the migrant drownings off Lampedusa.
Armitage paints in oil on lubugo, a Ugandan bark cloth used in funeral rites, and its holes and raised ridges show through the paint. There are 45 paintings and over 100 studies across two floors, grouped by theme rather than date: Kenyan politics, migration, sexuality, myth, then landscapes and visions, with a room of drawings. You come in for soft colour and nods to Gauguin and Manet, then read what's happening in them.
"Armitage seduces: he casts an attractive lure, then hurls you into tragedy," wrote Slow Venice. Expect lynchings, election violence and drowned bodies. Tickets are €20 (€7 for ages 20 to 26, free under 20) and include Punta della Dogana. Closed Tuesdays, last entry 17:00.
Editor's pick
Armitage paints on lubugo, a Ugandan bark cloth whose holes show through the oil. Slow Venice put it best: "he casts an attractive lure, then hurls you into tragedy." Expect election violence and drowned migrants.
Look for
The Lampedusa mother and child
Look for the round painting in the Grand Canal room, where a woman holding a baby floats upward through rings of slate, indigo and yellow.
Conjestina (2017)
Boxer Conjestina Achieng, Africa's first female world champion, sits surrounded by monstrous, dreamlike figures.
Nyali Beach Boys (2016)
Men who work Mombasa's beaches stand in moonlight, painted in seaweed greens and shadowy blues.
Bound (2025)
A twisted rope binds a pair of hands, next to a cavity that reads as wounded flesh.
The 2017 election crowd
A chaotic crowd scene from Kenya's 2017 presidential election, the event behind the show's title painting.
Good for
- Going Solo
- Out-Of-Town Guests
Skip if
You want a light afternoon: the paintings show lynchings, drownings and election violence.
With kids
Under-20s get in free. Several paintings show lynching, drowned migrants and nudity, so check the rooms before bringing younger children.
Also at Palazzo Grassi
On now nearby
Nearby
Image credits
9
- Michael Armitage. The Promise of ChangePhoto by Tom Jamieson © Michael Armitage. Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner
- Nel segno di Venezia: The Alessandro Favaretto Rubelli DonationCourtesy of Ca' Rezzonico – Museo del Settecento Veneziano
- Leiko Ikemura. TransLucent — La forma della luce© Leiko Ikemura. Photo: Jörg von Bruchhausen
- The Silks of Lucio AndrichCourtesy of Palazzo Mocenigo – Museum of Textiles and Costume
- Palazzo GrassiDidier Descouens / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Casa di Carlo GoldoniSailko / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
- Ca' Rezzonico – Museo del Settecento VenezianoDidier Descouens / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Gallerie dell'AccademiaDidier Descouens / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Scuola Grande di San RoccoDidier Descouens / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0