A native of Hungary, Rita Ackermann moved to New York City in the mid-1990s, arriving to find a culture—and art world—in transition. Rave and zine culture was in full swing; collaborations between artists, musicians, and magazine and book publishers were pervasive; and the age of the Internet was upon us.

Within a few short months, Ackermann received widespread attention for her work, particularly a group of canvases populated with figures inspired by the cult German film We Children from Bahnhof Zoo about the heroin subculture of the 1970s. Her work forged a new visual language: paintings, drawings, and collages which telescoped between a virtuoso—and sometimes brutalistic—expressionism and taut, precise figurative drawing. Ackermann’s work explores the paradoxical relationship between fragility and violence, as she derives inspiration from literature, film, philosophy, and popular culture.

This lavishly illustrated volume—created in close collaboration with the artist—chronicles the entirety of her career. Bonnie Clearwater connects the artist to Eastern European art historical precedents and examines the evolution in her practice over the last twenty years. Felix Ensslin reads Ackermann’s work through a panoply of European theorists’ writings, from Julia Kristeva to Jacques Lacan. Harmony Korine (famed writer of Kids) contributes an imagined conversation with the artist. John Kelsey explores the artist’s use of collage and its meaning in her body of work, and Josh Smith contributes a foreword, in the form of a personal letter.

The monograph is the most comprehensive collection of Ackermann’s work to date.

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS: Bonnie Clearwater is the Executive Director and Chief Curator of the
Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, since 1997. She has written extensively on modern and
contemporary art. Felix Ensslin is a writer and curator. He works in the theatre as a director and
dramaturge. He holds the Chair for Aesthetics and Art Mediation at the State Academy of Fine Arts in
Stuttgart, Germany. He first worked with Rita Ackermann during his exhibition between two deaths (curated with Ellen Blumenstein) at ZKM Karlsruhe, Germany, in 2007. John Kelsey is a writer, artist, and gallerist based in New York City. He is a member of the collective Bernadette Corporation and co-founder of the Reena Spaulings Fine Art Gallery. His texts on contemporary art have appeared frequently in Artforum, where he is a contributing editor. Harmony Korine is a screenwriter, director, and author. Josh Smith is an artist based in New York City.

RITA ACKERMANN
Contributions by Bonnie Clearwater, Harmony Korine, Felix Ensslin, John Kelsey, and Josh Smith
Skira Rizzoli, an imprint of Rizzoli New York
Hardcover / 224 pages / 200 color illustrations / 9̎ x 11̎
ISBN: 978-0-8478-3664-2
PRICE: $65.00 US / $70.00 CAN / £40.00
PUBLICATION DATE: November 2011
www.rizzoliusa.com

EXHIBITION INFORMATION:
Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami: March 15 – May 6, 2012