The first major exhibition of the artists work in London since 2003. Tillmans has redefined photography and the ways in which it is presented. In this exhibition, which he conceived specifically for the Serpentine Gallery, he explores the complexities of photographic image making and exhibition installation. The overall constellation of his pictures, as well as each individual work, reflect his engagement with what he describes as 'an abstraction grounded in the real world'
This is all very well and good, and the exhibition is interesting, but i just didn't get it.
I wandered around the 5 room space and tried to make sense of the varied display of images either framed, in cases, or in some instances simply cello-taped on the walls. Maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind, but after a while I just gave up and began just looking at the images as individual pieces.
There I found some inspiration.
I was aware of this series of images before visiting the exhibition, however I wasn't aware of their size, some 8ft high, some 20ft wide. The scale just adds that extra level of intrigue to these already fascinating images.
We all love our images of trees on this MA, and Tillmans likes them too. What I like about this image is the texture, as if it's been photocopied and scanned. There were a number of images of this king spread around the gallery, abstracts that are actually simple photographs.
This series of images also float my boat. Very simple in execution, the idea of recreating natural elements from man made objects is really interesting. Throw a nude into the set up and things get even more interesting.
And finally for now, Tillmans had his own image of the sea:
which I absolutely love. Again it's like the image of the trees, where it's becoming more of a texture than a representation. I got my sketchpad out and tried not to draw the image, but to draw the texture. The end result is a mess of lines, and looks rubbish, but I think there's something of interest here.
to be cont...
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