Wolfgang Tillmans - Freischwimmer - 2004

Freischwimmer

Wolfgang Tillmans
Tokyo Opera City Foundation/2004/Japanese/193*263*13

Freischwimmer, a photobook by Wolfgang Tillmans, one of the leading photographers representing contemporary Germany. In a past interview, Tillmans described himself as a “picture maker.” Unbound by the constraints of being a “photographer,” he sees photography merely as “one means of picture making.” He is an artist who has continuously created “new ‘pictures’” using various abstract and concrete techniques. Tillmans' appeal also lies in his meticulous approach, where he builds models for each project and creates dense installations that allow no compromise in spatial design or layout. This book is a catalog collection published on the occasion of his first exhibition in Japan, held at the Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery in 2004. Its structure offers a glimpse into his career, spanning from his early period in the 80s and 90s to a portion of his mid-career phase where he began placing greater emphasis on artistic expression. The first 80 pages feature illustrations, while the latter approximately 50 pages contain text and interviews. Bilingual Japanese-English.