Born in Budapest, Hungary in 1968, Rita Ackermann has had an illustrious career in art, showing in galleries across North America and Europe. She moved to New York at a young age to study and be immersed in the American art scene, and she continues to live and work there to this day.

Ackermann’s works could be classified as paintings, but she certainly does not limit herself to paint as a medium. I find most of her works have a drawing-like quality, blending hard line art with blended, almost pastel-like textures in angry or earthy colours. The artist’s studio, located in Brooklyn, looks absolutely packed with works in progress in the above photo, taken in 2011. Paintings are held on easels, taped or pinned to the walls, and spread across the floor as Ackermann works on them in different stages of her process. Ackermann takes a tactile approach as she draws on a few pieces while sitting on the floor.

The paintings and mixed-media work that Ackermann produces is layered and complex, and often explores ideas of gender politics, feminism, and the human form through a narrative approach. She tends to layer ideas as well as images, and many works will have interesting titles that open up interpretation to encompass many different storylines or experiences.

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