Fiona Ackerman Canadian, b. 1978

Fiona Ackerman, born in 1978 in Montreal, Canada, is a contemporary painter and multimedia artist whose vibrant abstract work has gained recognition both nationally and internationally. Rooted in a deep engagement with the act of painting, Ackerman’s work moves fluidly between abstraction and suggestion, investigating how color, texture, pattern, and gesture shape visual experience. Drawing on a rich formal vocabulary, her compositions often evoke landscapes, botanical forms, and imaginative spaces that challenge the viewer’s perception of reality and place. Whether working on canvases, murals, or videos, Ackerman blends technical rigor with expressive freedom, creating works that are visually dynamic and conceptually compelling.

Ackerman’s artistic development was shaped by her studies at Concordia University in Montreal and the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in Vancouver, where she completed her BFA in 2002. Deeply influenced by the traditions of abstraction and contemporary painting, she continually reinvents her visual language, approaching each series as a distinct “book” with its own mood, story, and stylistic logic. Her practice extends beyond the studio to include large-scale murals and public art projects, as well as experimental video projections and collaborations that expand the boundaries of her medium.

Over the course of her career, Ackerman has exhibited widely across Canada, Europe, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Asia, with solo and group shows in major galleries and art fairs. She was longlisted for the Sobey Art Award in 2015 and received an honourable mention for the Kingston Prize for Canadian Portraiture in 2009, recognition that reflects her ongoing contribution to contemporary painting. Ackerman currently lives and works in Vancouver, where she continues to explore the expressive potential of abstraction while inviting audiences to see the world anew through her vibrant, layered compositions.