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.
