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to move away from informal images of the young
generation to more formal portraiture and still life.
In 1998, 60 of Tillmans’s photographs were pub-
lished byParkett, an international art journal out
of Zurich. The book was comprised of color prints
that were either accidentally spoiled in the dark-
room by error or manipulated intentionally by Till-
mans. The photographs contain traces of a much
neater, cleaner print but are marred by streaks of
light, or miscalculations in color and exposure.
Many of the images had been collected by Tillmans
since he first began printing in color in the early
1990s. What interested him most was the abs-
tracted nature of the photograph, eventually for-
cing his interest to a less literal image. In the early
part of the new millennium, Tillmans’s energy was
spent on these abstractions, made by manipulating
light onto photographic paper. The photographs
are much more painterly in quality as colors of
light streak across the paper. While some of these
images do include use of a negative, many are made
without the camera at all.
In 2000, Tillmans was awarded the prestigious
British Turner Prize, an annual award given to an
outstanding British artist under the age of 50. What
made the awarding of the prize to Tillmans notable
was that he was the first non-British artist as well as
the first photographer to be awarded the prize.
Many people felt that this was a welcome change
from the values normally expressed by the Turner
Prize committee and by British art circles.
In 2002, Wolfgang Tillmans shifted gears again,
working on his first video installation, Lights
(body)2002. His video piece stemmed from a col-
laboration and chronicles several Saturday nights
at a busy nightclub. Rather than focusing on the
dancers, the piece concentrates on the vivid lights
in the club that flicker on and off to the pulsing
electronic club music.
In this photographic work, Tillmans has been
reverting back to a more literal use of the medium.
One series of images came from a photo essay for the
magazinePurple, and another series involved trips
to Berlin. In both cases, the photographs recall the
classic Tillmans simplicity. However, he has begun a
new approach to his presentation. The images are
now of the same small postcard size rather than a
mix of sizes and are arranged into a large grid. It is a
much more refined method, yet it adds a new com-
plexity to the work.
Though some argue over whether Tillmans is an
innovator or a documenter, there can be no ques-
tion that he is one of the most prolific photogra-
phers of his time. Despite his many shifts in
methods, the focus of his photographs is always

on the beauty of the mundane in the everyday

and articulating a new aesthetic.

KellyMaron

Biography

Born in Remscheid, Germany in 1968. First solo exhibition

in Hamburg, Germany in 1988 prior to any formal

photography training. Commercial photographer forI-

D,Spex,Interview, andThe Facemagazines, late 1980s.

Attended the Bournemouth and Poole College of Art

and Design under a two year photography program

from 1990–1992. In 1994 created his first monograph,

published by Taschen. Began association with Daniel

Buchholz Gallery, Cologne, Germany, and Andrea

Rosen Gallery, New York, New York, late 1990s.

Moved to London, 1996. Turner Prize, 2000. Currently

lives and works in London.

Individual Exhibitions

1993 Approaches; Cafe Gnosa, Hamburg, Germany

1993 Buchholz + Buchholz Gallery; Cologne, Germany

Interim Art; London, England

Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac; Paris, France

1995 Kunsthalle Zurich; Zurich, Switzerland

Portkius; Frankfurt, Germany

1996 Kunstmuseum; Wolfsburg, Germany

Daniel Buchholz Gallery; Cologne, Germany

ars Futura Gallery; Zurich, Switzerland

1997 Andrea Rosen Gallery; New York, New York

Chisenhale Gallery; London, England

1998 Fruiciones; Museu Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain

1999 Neugeriemschneider Gallery; Berlin, Germany

Daniel Buchholz Gallery; Cologne, Germany

Soldiers-The Nineties; Interim Art, London, England

2000 Galerie Ru ̈diger Scho ̈ttle; Mu ̈nchen, Germany

Galerie Meyer Kainer (mit Jochen Klein); Wien,

Austrai

2001 Wako Works of Art; Tokyo, Japan

Andrea Rosen Gallery; New York, New York

Galerie Daniel Buchholz; Cologne, Germany

Aufsicht; Deichtorhallen; Hamburg, Germany

2002 Museion—Museo d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea;

Bolzano, Italy

Palais de Tokyo; Paris, France

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art; Humlebaek, Den-

mark

Castello di Rivoli, Museo d’Arte Contemporanea;

Turin, Italy

Maureen Paley Interim Art; London, England

Still Life Redefined: Wolfgang Tillmans; Bush-Rei-

singer Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts

2003 Wolfgang Tillmans—if one thing matters, everything

matters; Tate Britain, London, England

Selected Group Exhibitions

1994 Tolksdorf & Friebe Gallery; Cologne, Germany

1995 The Swedish Contemporary Art Foundation; Stock-

holm, Sweden

TILLMANS, WOLFGANG