Hauser & Wirth hosted an opening art party to celebrate artists ‘Rita Ackermann and ‘Zeng Fanzhi on February 4, 2023. Both exhibitions will run through April 30, 2023.

Hauser & Wirth DTLA courtyard, photo by Mario de Lopez

“Vertical Vanish,” an exhibition of recent paintings by Hungarian Rita Ackermann will be the artists’s first West Coast exhibition with the gallery. Composed primarily of large-scale oil paintings that intuitively recast the interplay of line, color and form, ‘Vertical Vanish’ makes a game of repeated gestures, figures and motifs. Pre-drawn scenes obscurely emerge from the background, only to disappear into impasto fields of imbricated color. Through a series of gestural interventions guided by the artist’s hand – an admixture of drawing, painting and erasure – oil paints, China markers and acrylics are heavily worked onto surfaces of canvas or raw linen. The lines constituting Ackermann’s figures are lost to near total abstraction; thickly applied washes of paint are scraped away at, giving rise to revelatory compositions. In addition to the larger works, a selection of small, overpainted monotype prints on paper (all dating from 2022) will also be on view. These small paintings occupy a middle distance between the mindful reworking of available materials at hand and the unveiling of hidden motifs.

“Zeng Fanzhi” is the first Los Angeles solo exhibition by the renowned Chinese artist, featuring a series of monumental, abstract landscapes presented harmoniously within the distinctive soaring space of the South Gallery. Zeng Fanzhi’s intuitive approach to the canvas is evident in his bold, expressionistic abstractions evoking natural phenomena. Rendered with a dynamism and exquisite palette, these paintings echo the magnetism and perceptual impact of 20th century color field painting but with a distinctively 21st century aura. Heralding Zeng Fanzhi’s latest technical breakthroughs, the works on view initiate the artist’s use of bright, saturated fields of color to define a painting. A seemingly vast expanse of hues, closer inspection of each surface reveals a delicate interwoven palette of vivid pigments. This exhibition marks the latest in Hauser & Wirth’s ongoing series of Los Angeles presentations conceived to introduce the city to the oeuvres of foremost international contemporary artists, further forging connections across geographical and cultural territories.

On view: February 2 – April 30, 2023

What:  New Exhibitions
Where: Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles, 901 East 3rd Street, Los Angeles CA 90013
Website: http://www.hauserwirth.com