February 6, 2015
2-TIMES · Art
— Rita Ackermann
@ Hauser & Wirth,
Zurich
Based:
New York.
Exhibition title:
Chalkboard
Paintings.
Themes:
Neo-figurative /
abstract
expressionism.
Her process:
Firstly priming
each canvas with
chalkboard
paint, before
drawing out a
figurative scene –
Ackermann then
employs vigorous
sweeping gestures
to partially
wash away her
compositions.
Repetitive
steps of layering
& erasure then
cause the chalk
lines to dissolve
in a cyclical
process through
which new
abstracted
images and
shapes emerge.
These are
then further
overworked
with spray
paint, prior
to a final
fixative seal.
2-TIMES'
highlights:
– Wiped Out Heroines
– Black Shadow
– Icy Hot
On view at:
Hauser & Wirth,
Zurich.
Closes:
March 14, 2015.
Ackermann
primes the canvas with traditional chalkboard
paint before drawing out a figurative scene in
chalk. The drawings are then partially washed
away in vigorous sweeping gestures that oscillate
between the visible and invisible, revealing
only limited emphasis on method, subject and
production