Adolescence is one of the great themes of Rita Ackermann’s art. In ‘American Iconology’ (2024) the artist reuses earlier compositions and figures as anchor points for new concepts.

Ackermann’s ‘American Iconology’ belongs to a body of work that debuted at Hauser & Wirth New York in 2024. Titled ‘Splits,’ these works feature fragmentary figures and distinct registers that recall the artist’s ‘Variations’ from 2022.

The layered composition of ‘American Iconology’ brims with movement. Featuring monoprinted elements, the work is further testament to Ackermann’s interest in blurring the boundaries between mediums.

‘American Iconology’ ultimately speaks to the visual and symbolic richness of Ackermann’s work.

‘Composed as a sequence of stacked-up semi-translucent frames, these canvases can also be seen as the visual equivalent of images imprinted on a film strip. Ackermann, in fact, draws parallels between the transformative essence of the images in the Splits and the dynamic permutations observed when montaged photographic images are projected in a cinema. In both mediums, meaning opens in the infinitesimal split between what the eye sees and the elusive.’—Dr. Pamela Kort