In this episode of WAS MIT KUNST, Johann König sits down with Canadian painter Erin Armstrong, whose vivid, emotionally charged exhibition TRIAL BY FIRE is currently on view at KÖNIG TELEGRAPHENAMT.

Known for her surreal figurative worlds, Armstrong speaks candidly about the disorienting beauty and chaos of simply being alive—a sensation she tries to translate into her paintings. Her work explores the emotional landscape of womanhood, vulnerability, and resilience through recurring symbols like balancing spheres, dense jungle foliage, and symbolic figures that serve as placeholders for mood rather than identity. As Armstrong puts it, “I never really paint literal people … it’s just from imagination based on the way I am feeling.”

Together, she and Johann König discuss the evolution of her practice, her resistance to traditional art school pathways, and the moment she returned to painting after a four-year detour into history studies. They also reflect on imposter syndrome in the art world and the paradox of success—how staying humble is key to artistic growth.

The episode touches on deeply personal and political themes, including Armstrong’s reflections on the oppressive climate for women in North America today. Her exhibition TRIAL BY FIRE presents a hauntingly symbolic vision of contemporary womanhood—nude figures hiding in the jungle, teetering on spheres, caught between visibility and exposure, strength and fragility. “They’re showing that they’re in states of chaos,” Armstrong says, “or they’re in worlds where it’s feeling like something other is happening.”

Learn more about the artist HERE