Thilo Westermann is known for his reverse glass paintings, unique prints and photomontages. His latest book, Thilo Westermann Migrations, offers insights both into his complex work and into his manifold and profound research interests: in botany, porcelain, Asian art, global histories and the mechanisms of intercultural exchange. During residencies in China, the UK and USA, Westermann worked closely with internationally renowned scholars, inviting them to share their expertise in Chinese porcelain, the cultural history of peony flowers, botanical illustration, appropriation in the arts, chinoiseries and europeries.
The contributions to this volume either result from his discussions with these authors and experts or reflect his engagement with their writings. Carefully curated and laid out by the artist, this richly illustrated anthology visualizes the migration of forms and ideas. Motifs and thoughts shift from one page to another and take shape from contribution to contribution, just as forms and ideas transform through cross-cultural exchange. This book, therefore, reflects not only the artist's research but pays tribute to the open-ended movement of ideas and forms, from one medium to another, beyond borders and across time.