Rita Ackermann's Chemical Alphabet at Hauser & Wirth

Rita Ackermann's new series, Chemical Alphabet, is currently on view at Hauser & Wirth. The paintings incorporate letters from a Semitic alphabet, which serve as structural anchors for each composition. Ackermann employs her signature chalkboard method, building surfaces with layers of pastel and chalk that are repeatedly erased, washed away, and redrawn. This process allows multiple states of the painting to coexist on the canvas, creating a dynamic interplay between accumulation and erasure. The central letter remains visible, its meaning shifting as the surrounding image evolves. The works are executed in acrylic green chalkboard paint on canvases primed with multiple silkscreen prints. The series explores the tension between permanence and impermanence, with the final image revealing the chronicle of its own creation rather than a frozen moment. Ackermann's approach challenges traditional notions of artistic creation, emphasizing process over product. The exhibition highlights her ongoing exploration of materiality and the act of making.