The Düsseldorf photographer Thomas Ruff is having his day in the sun, with the Art Gallery of Ontario's ‘Object Relations’, a major solo show, opening this month.
Closer to home, Chelsea’s David Zwirner Gallery is celebrating Ruff’s latest series of work. Included in the exhibition, ‘press++’, are 12 photographs – some a staggering eight feet in length and six feet across – all devoted to early space exploration.
For his eighth exhibition with the gallery, Ruff has plucked up American newspaper photographs and clippings dating from the 1950s, which he sourced on Ebay.
While referencing German Dada artists’ photomontages from the 1920s, Ruff reinvents the medium of photography by first scanning the front and back of those press photographs, many of them marked up and cropped by newspaper editors, and some even including typed captions. He then combines the two sides via Photoshop and prints the digital file on a larger scale.
In doing so, Ruff creates an entirely new image and puts his personal spin on high tech photography. ‘I want to confuse information,’ he says of the images, depicting rockets lifting off, astronauts and close-ups of the moon with text.
Ruff has plucked up American newspaper photographs and clippings dating from the 1950s, which he sourced on Ebay
Ruff first scans the front and back of press photographs, many of them marked up and cropped by newspaper editors (some even include typed captions), and then combines the two sides via Photoshop before finally printing that on a larger scale. Pictured: press++01.16, 2015
In doing so, Ruff creates an entirely new image, putting his personal spin on high tech photography while also referencing German Dada artists’ photomontages from the 1920s. Pictured: press++01.65, 2015
‘I want to confuse information,’ says Ruff of his images. Pictured: press++01.20, 2015
INFORMATION
’press++’ is on view until 30 April. For more details, visit David Zwirner’s website
Photography of courtesy of David Zwirner New York/ London
ADDRESS
David Zwirner Gallery
533 West 19th Street
New York, NY 10011
-
Marylebone restaurant Nina turns up the volume on Italian diningAt Nina, don’t expect a view of the Amalfi Coast. Do expect pasta, leopard print and industrial chic
-
Tour the wonderful homes of ‘Casa Mexicana’, an ode to residential architecture in Mexico‘Casa Mexicana’ is a new book celebrating the country’s residential architecture, highlighting its influence across the world
-
Jonathan Anderson is heading to Dior MenAfter months of speculation, it has been confirmed this morning that Jonathan Anderson, who left Loewe earlier this year, is the successor to Kim Jones at Dior Men
-
MK&G’s ‘Glitter’ exhibition: a brilliant world-first tribute to sparkle and spectacleMK&G’s latest exhibition is a vibrant flurry of sparkles and glitter with a rippling Y2K undercurrent, proving that 'Glitter is so much more than you think it is'
-
Inside E-WERK Luckenwalde’s ‘Tell Them I Said No’, an art festival at Berlin's former power stationE-WERK Luckenwalde’s two-day art festival was an eclectic mix of performance, workshops, and discussion. Will Jennings reports
-
Alexandra Pirici’s action performance in Berlin is playfully abstract with a desire to address urgent political questionsArtist and choreographer Alexandra Pirici transforms the historic hall of Berlin’s Hamburger Bahnhof into a live action performance and site-specific installation
-
Artist Ian Cheng explores the technological and aesthetic potential of AIIn Berlin’s cavernous Halle am Berghain, New York-based artist Ian Cheng plunges viewers into an immersive world of AI and existential anime in ‘Life After BOB’
-
Documenta 15 review: social practice, controversy and food for thoughtMired in evolving controversy, Documenta 15 has raised critical questions about transparency, accountability and creative freedom. Emily McDermott travels to Kassel to explore how an edition filled with social practice art urges active participation and throws global power structures into sharp relief
-
12th Berlin Biennale review: a fiercely political exploration of reparation and modern angstAs the Berlin Art Week festivities enter full swing (14-18 September) it's the last chance to see the 12th Berlin Biennale curated by Kader Attia. It tells a poignant, sometimes-crushing story of globally interconnected histories and the angst of modernity
-
Artist Jakob Kudsk Steensen on how VR can bring us closer to natureDanish artist Jakob Kudsk Steensen leverages virtual reality technologies to reorient our relationship with the natural world.
-
Thomas Struth on the day he photographed the Queen and Prince Philip: ‘It was an experiment’To mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, German artist Thomas Struth looks back on the moment he created a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip: ‘It’s an exotic part of my oeuvre because of who they are’
