This book surveys the artistic development of Pia Fries from 1990 to 2007, focusing on her distinctive use of paint as a material substance. Fries, born in 1955, studied under Gerhard Richter and developed a signature style characterized by textural patterns and crisscrossing marks that construct and reconstruct her canvases. Her work often features isolated, feathery, or geometric marks that appear to float above a white ground, sometimes connected by trails of color. This survey explores how she manipulates paint to create a sense of dynamic, almost animated texture on the canvas.

This catalogue, surveying Pia Fries' work from 1990-2007, highlights her innovative approach to painting as a material medium. The text emphasizes her unique method of constructing canvases through textural patterns and crisscrossing marks, a style that has drawn critical attention. Ken Johnson's observation in The New York Times, describing the paint as having a 'comically agitated life of its own,' suggests a reception that recognizes the dynamic and animated quality of her abstract work. The publication serves as a significant document of her artistic output during this formative period.