Past Event
Fascinated by the technology of images and exploring themes from the cosmic to the catastrophic, German photographer Thomas Ruff is joined by former Whitechapel Gallery Director Iwona Blazwick to discuss his work.
In his large-scale works, Ruff challenges us to question how the photograph operates within society, from newspaper archives to pornography. At the same time, he delves deeply into the practice of image making, experimenting through both analogue and digital processes.
This event is part of the Whitechapel Gallery’s talk series Prix Pictet Conversations on Photography, which provides a platform for leading contemporary photographers from around the world to discuss and present their practice.
Supported by Pictet & Cie.
Born in 1958 in Zell am Harmersbach, Germany, Thomas Ruff attended the renowned Staatliche Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf from 1977 to 1985. Thomas has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions internationally, including recently Object Relations at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, a survey at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo and 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa both also in 2016 and Thomas Ruff: Lichten at the Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst (S.M.A.K.) in Ghent in 2014. Ruff was recently selected as a finalist for the Prix Pictet photography award. He lives and works in Düsseldorf.
