Wolfgang Tillmans: 2017

Strange exhibition at Tate Modern curated by Wolfgang Tillmans of his own work.

Each room was configured by Tillmans as a response to current events and was shown without labels although there was a useful handout to help you round and outline themes. I would have liked a bit more guidance on the whats and wheres of the works. Works were shown framed and unframed and alongside installation style pieces. I thought there were some super pictures but I’m not sure I really understood the themes.

In the middle of the show was an installation called “Playback Room” which was a room designed for playing studio created music to a high quality in a public space. I loved the room of portraits which Tillman’s sees as a collaborative act between the sitter and photographer.

Pictures which struck me included “CLC 800, dismantled” a photograph of an installation where he had unfastened every screw on a photocopier, a large picture of shells and seafood for it’s wonderful colours, a modern take on the classical Spinario sculpture which I show here and “Weed”, a four metre high picture of a weed in his back garden.

Closed on 11 Jun2 2017

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