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The figurative watercolors of Achim Riethmann (b. London, 1979; lives and works in Berlin) are delineated with great precision and exude a powerful aesthetic appeal. Look again, however, and the semblance of perfection is shattered: fragmented and stripped of their context, the motifs-masked individuals, depictions of plants or technical implements-appear in isolation before white backdrops. Central objects are elided, making voids the focus of the pictures. Riethmann´s works address contemporary social and political issues such as the transformation of social structures and value systems or man´s position in his natural environment. The fragmentary quality of the drawings moreover reflects our subjective and inevitably incomplete view of reality.
This book, the young artist´s first extensive monograph, presents a collection of watercolors and installation pieces created since 2009. With essays by Isabelle Meiffert and others and a conversation between the artist and his former teacher Leiko Ikemura.

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The figurative watercolors of Achim Riethmann (b. London, 1979; lives and works in Berlin) are delineated with great precision and exude a powerful aesthetic appeal. Look again, however, and the semblance of perfection is shattered: fragmented and stripped of their context, the motifs appear in isolation before white backdrops. With an essay by Isabelle Meiffert and a conversation between the artist and his former teacher Leiko Ikemura.

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