Publisher's Synopsis
A monograph on the work of Annick Tonti (1951-2023), known by her alias moholinushk, featuring refined and singular drawings that observe the world around her through circles and balanced geometric compositions made across her eight years as a practising artist.
Annick Tonti (1951-2023), known by her alias moholinushk, produced an incredibly refined and singular body of work in her eight years as a practising artist. Her drawings reveal keen observation of the world around her, expressed through circles and balanced geometric compositions. Later collections saw her language expand to include looser, organic forms, underpinned by a meticulous choice of materials.
The publication features 163 drawings by Annick Tonti, along with a foreword by her husband, Matti Weinberg, a biography by Bettina Diem and an essay by Rebecca Alcaraz. Born in Tours, France, with Tunisian and French roots, Annick Tonti made drawings throughout the last eight years of her life, from 2015-23, following her retirement in 2013. The artist's practice was shaped by her career as a diplomat, leading on social, economic and political development in Palestine, Jordan and Bangladesh among other locations, and her discipline and sensitivity played vital roles in all aspects of her work. As Weinberg notes: 'In this way, her art reflects not just a section of her life but the whole of her person.'
In addition to past interviews with the artist, the publication includes letters and notes written by Annick Tonti. These reflect on connections to Islamic geometry, Japanese graphic art and the Bauhaus, evidencing the research and careful thought that went into each of her smallscale abstract drawings, typically made with combinations of coloured pencil, chalk pastel, ink and watercolour on paper. New photography of the artist's studio near Zurich, taken by Zoe Tempest, further illuminates her practice in this calm and creative space.
