Mikael Lo Presti’s striking painting Tapestry/Paus (2021) encapsulates the multiple, sometimes contradictory, approaches to painting that the artist has investigated over the last decade. The patterned floral motif running around its edges pushes the image to the surface while the aperture at its center opens onto an ambiguous figure transfixed by a smartphone-emblematic of our contemporary moment.
Lo Presti reflects on Tapestry/Paus, part of the Astrup Fearnley Collection and featured in the exhibition Before Tomorrow - Astrup Fearnley Museet 30 Years (22.7.2023-3.12.2023), while also sharing how he came to painting and current concerns within his practice.