Juergen Teller exhibition Zittern auf dem Sofa explores the photographer's football fandom

A new exhibition of Juergen Teller’s photography has opened at Moscow’s Garage Museum of Contemporary Art to herald the start of the FIFA World Cup. Zittern auf dem Sofa, loosely translated as Trembling on the Sofa presents a grand narrative of Teller’s works “that brings together football, personal history and fandom.”

As an avid football fan and one of the most important photographers of his generation, Teller exhibits video recordings of every German game played and watched by him. Dispersed alongside these are other photographs, old and new, several drawing on themes unrelated to football but representative of Teller’s own universe. The exhibition will see the viewer undertake an emotional journey, following the successes and failures, wins and losses experienced by so many passionate football supporters.

Juergen Teller’s images are personal, humorous and defy commonly accepted ideals of beauty. The exhibition at Garage will expose the artist himself to the lens. Garage tells us, at the centre of the exhibition is the famous shot of Teller standing naked, with a football and beer bottle, upon his father’s grave. This provocative image highlights how football can so often entwine itself into family life, for better or for worse. Also on display is the Siegerflieger (2014) series and Naked on the Soccer Field (2002), each displaying victory and loss respectively.

You can view the show at the Garage museum from 8 June – 19 August 2018.