- Venue
- Serpentine Gallery
- Location
- London
The Serpentine gallery is unlike the majority of others in London due to it’s location. Separate from most, you are usually making the trip there because you really want to, rather than because you stumbled across the place. The opportunity to see the work of Wolfgang Tillmans was no different, I was heading over there because of my deep admiration for this man’s photography.
Upon entering the space I was greeted with several abstract works, none of which I have come to associate Tillmans with. I found myself questioning their merit and wondered how they functioned in relation to his usual figurative stuff. A little research has informed me that these are a new component of his practice. Upon reflection I see a link -a desire to experiment with colour and the technical processes of photography. But these images lack the challenging and sometimes subtly confrontation element found in his photography.
Tilmans did not disappoint when it came to displaying his most well known works. They all seemed to be there and the stand out was definitely the male up skirt shot. The poetry of the organs, limbs and fabric create an alluring composition. It would be dishonest of me to not admit that I also got a kick out of the responses from other viewers. Some would giggle and drag their friends towards the photos. Others would look and then quickly look away as the contents of the image registered. It was a photograph that like a lot of his, told us something about ourselves.
One thing I enjoy about Tillmans is how casual he is about installing work. Obvious bit’s of double sided tape poke out from underneath photographs. If we were at an undergraduate degree show it would seem crude but somehow, Tilmans gets away with it. Some might say he takes a risk by doing this, but it is hardly possibly for a man who won the Turner prize to need to worry about a matter so flippant.
An interesting touch was the display units with newspaper clippings and other ephemera. Articles relating to war and gay rights for example, give indication to Tillmans’ political leanings and modes of enquiry. These museum like displays suggest we are looking at the work of a man with history of his own. By offering us this information, I felt I got closer to understanding the motivation behind the work. Despite this, I wonder where the challenge lay for the audience. The works that used to be considered controversial are no longer. The ‘anarchic’ exhibition strategies are tried and tested so I wonder where this artist should go next. I wait with bated breath.
