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Wolfgang Tillmans

 

Wolfgang Tillmans: Redefining Contemporary Photography

Wolfgang Tillmans is a German photographer celebrated for his experimental approach and groundbreaking work in contemporary art. Blurring the lines between fine art, documentary, and abstraction, Tillmans explores themes of identity, politics, intimacy, and perception. His photographs range from highly personal portraits to abstract color experiments, installations, and everyday scenes elevated to art. Winner of the Turner Prize, Tillmans is considered one of the most influential photographers of his generation.

Camera Gear

Wolfgang Tillmans has used a variety of gear throughout his career, reflecting his openness to experimentation rather than loyalty to a single system:

  • Canon EOS 5D (and later 5D Mark II/III) – Widely documented as one of his go-to digital cameras, valued for flexibility and image quality.

Canon Eos 5D Mark III

  • Contax G2 – 35mm rangefinder film camera, used for portraits and intimate work in the 1990s.

Contax G2

  • Mamiya 6 Medium Format – Used for its sharp detail and tonal depth, particularly in his early projects.

Mamiya 6

  • Large-format cameras – For his meticulously detailed prints and installations, allowing immense scale and resolution.

  • Darkroom & Photogram techniques – Tillmans is famous for his cameraless photography, creating abstract images directly on photographic paper.

Film & Technique

  • Tillmans frequently works with film as well as digital, often mixing formats in the same body of work.

  • His darkroom photograms are central to his practice, created by exposing photosensitive paper directly to light sources, producing abstract and painterly results.

  • He often prints large-scale to challenge how viewers engage with photography in gallery spaces.

  • Emphasis on everyday life: portraits of friends, nightlife, still lifes, and political activism sit alongside abstract studies.

Legacy

Wolfgang Tillmans has redefined what photography can be in the contemporary art world. By seamlessly combining personal, political, and abstract work, he has expanded the medium beyond traditional boundaries. His influence extends across generations of photographers, artists, and cultural thinkers.

Books Featuring Wolfgang Tillmans’s Work

  • Wolfgang Tillmans (Taschen, 2017)

  • Neue Welt (2012)

see it on Amazon

  • Wolfgang Tillmans: 40 Out of 100 (2001)

  • Concorde (1997)

  • Truth Study Center (2005)

  • Wolfgang Tillmans: Four Books (2017) – a comprehensive box set

see it on Amazon


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