100 beautiful, strange works from Wolfgang Tillmans in artful New York show

Date
5 October 2015

Combining whimsy, sex and a flair for finding unexpected beauty, Wolfgang Tillmans has one of the most singular lenses in the world of fine art photography, so much so that he was the first photographer to win the Turner prize back in 2000. His repertoire runs the gamut from Hamburg and London nightlife, abstract images made with developing chemicals in the darkroom, still lifes and nudes, and the peculiar contradiction in his work is that it seamlessly juxtaposes the classical and the contemporary. This is because whether it’s the nape of a neck, a windowsill littered with ripening fruit or a crumpled pair of jeans, everything tends to feel stumbled upon.

An exhibition of over 100 new and recent works at David Zwirner in New York also show the intuitive way he uses the exhibition almost as its own medium. Throughout, photographs of varying sizes are artfully arranged, often unframed or taped to the wall as monumental lone images or in small clusters. The show includes a new video piece and vitrine installation, and new photographs look at underground nightlife, international activism, friends and strangers, whilst providing small and surprising glimpses into Tillmans’ private life.

PCR is on show at David Zwirner in New York until 24 October 2015.

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Wolfgang Tillmanns: PCR

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Wolfgang Tillmanns: PCR

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Wolfgang Tillmanns: PCR

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Wolfgang Tillmanns: PCR

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Wolfgang Tillmanns: PCR

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Wolfgang Tillmanns: PCR

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Wolfgang Tillmanns: PCR

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Wolfgang Tillmanns: PCR

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Left

Wolfgang Tillmanns: PCR

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Wolfgang Tillmanns: PCR installation view. Courtesy David Zwirner, New York.

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Wolfgang Tillmanns: PCR installation view. Courtesy David Zwirner, New York.

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Wolfgang Tillmanns: PCR installation view. Courtesy David Zwirner, New York.

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About the Author

Alexander Hawkins

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