Elisabeth Charlotte Rist assumed the name Pipilotti during her teens, a mix of her pet name Lotti and the name of Pippi Longstocking, the tough girl from the books by Astrid Lindgren. From 1982 she studied commercial art, illustration and photography at the Institut für Angewandte Kunst in Vienna and subsequently Audiovisual communication at the Schule für Gestaltung in Basel.
In this period, Rist began working with 8mm films and slide projections which were shown during the performance of various bands. In 1984 she held her first solo exhibition in the artists' initiative Galeria Prottore/Stauraum in Vienna. From 1988 to 1994, Rist played in the band Les Reines Prochaines as a musician. Even after she stopped playing, music and pop culture continued to play an important role in her work.
Together with a regular team, the Atelier Rist Sisters, Rist has concentrated on space-filling installations since the mid-1990s. Video, audio and spatial experience play an equal role in these. She has worked for many years with the composer Anders Guggisberg and this has given her a unique and recognisable sound.
Her solo exhibition Elixir was on view in Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum from 7 March to 10 May 2009.
Pipilotti Rist
Grabs 1962
