Michael Armitage ‘Ngaben, 2023’ limited edition print
Add to Wish ListThis print is only available for collection which should be arranged with the Government Art Collection in London. The buyer must arrange to collect the print within one month of purchase. Purchasers will be sent full details by email. Shipping details will be requested at the checkout, however no shipping charge will be applied.
Starting in 2018 and for ten years, the Government Art Collection has commissioned an outstanding British artist to create an original, limited-edition print to be displayed in diplomatic buildings across the world, with a small number available to purchase.
In Ngaben, an exquisite lithograph commissioned for the Robson Orr TenTen Award 2023, Michael Armitage pays homage to a close artist-friend in Bali, Indonesia, who recently died. Ngaben is a Hindu cremation ceremony practised in Bali, and central to this intimate cycle-of-life vignette is the burning pyre. Two women hold each other as they watch the flames, while to their right a mother breastfeeds her baby. Mischievous mask-like faces crowd the bottom of the image. A line of simplified figures from early south-east African paintings form a mysterious script above.
- Six-colour lithograph on torn edge somerset satin soft white 300gsm paper
- Signed by the artist
- Unframed
- Purchasers will receive details on the artists recommended framing specifications
- The Robson Orr TenTen commission for 2023
- When buying this print, you consent for your name to be shared with the artist for their archive
- Please note that buyers must agree not to sell at auction in the next 5 years
Armitage was inspired by a vital outcome of the Robson Orr TenTen Award. Every year, sales of 11 of the limited-edition prints fund the acquisition of work by emerging British artists and those under-represented in the collection.
'Culture exists in the most difficult moments of people’s lives, at points at which they grieve and points at which they experience loss; it exists in celebration; it’s a reminder that we’re not here as isolated individuals, we’re here as something greater, and we have a responsibility to each other. For me, that’s really what it is to be an artist… It’s a very hard thing to quantify but it’s entirely necessary.' - Michael Armitage
Purchases help to contribute to the Government Art Collection's mission to support UK art and emerging UK artists.
| Fulfillment | Collection |
|---|---|
| Pieces | 1 |
| GSM weight | 300 |
| Dimensions | 43.4 x 33 cm |
| Material | Torn edge Somerset Satin soft white 300gsm paper |
| Limited edition size | Edition of 30, plus 6 artist's proofs and 4 printer's proofs |
| Collection | Government Art Collection |
Michael Armitage, born in 1984 in Nairobi, Kenya, to a Yorkshire father and a Kenyan mother of Kikuyu heritage, spent his early years in East Africa before moving to London at 16. He studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and the Royal Academy Schools. Armitage now divides his time between London, Bali, and Nairobi, and has exhibited his work widely in the UK and internationally.
Armitage is best known for his oil paintings on Lubugo bark cloth, traditionally used by the Baganda people of Uganda for burial shrouds. His work blends European painting styles with East African subjects and materials, as well as experiences from his recent move to Bali. Through his art, Armitage weaves narratives inspired by historical and contemporary news media, popular culture, and his own memories and imaginings.
About The Robson Orr TenTen Award
Ten years, ten prints. Since 2018, the Government Art Collection has been selecting outstanding British artists to create original, limited-edition prints for the collection to display around the world. The Robson Orr TenTen Award is presented jointly by the Government Art Collection with Outset Contemporary Art Fund and is sponsored by philanthropists Sybil Robson Orr and Matthew Orr.
Through the TenTen project, artists including Michael Armitage, Tacita Dean, Yinka Shonibare CBE, Lubaina Himid and Rachel Whiteread DBE have created original works for the Collection.