On the occasion of the 2024 photo+ Biennial, Düsseldorf-based artist Thomas Ruff will be showing a new body of work from his latest series untitled# and d.o.pe. With their fine, graphic structures and the delicate interplay of light and shadow, these new works are a clear reference to the early experimental Rhythmograms by Peter Keetman and Etienne Bertrand Weill's Metaforms.
Inspired by the techniques used at the time, Thomas Ruff builds variously shaped wire structures, which he hangs from the ceiling with nylon threads and sets in pendulum motion. He captures the movements of these constructions with his camera using a longer exposure time. The results are random light constructions that elude any form of control. Representationalism gives way to a captured ephemeral construct.
For the works in his d.o.pe. series, Thomas Ruff had dealt with the visual appearance of geometric structures, for which the mathematician Benoît Mandelbrot had introduced the term "fractal" in 1975: objects, structures or patterns that exhibit a high degree of self- similarity, so that when a section of the pattern is enlarged, the same structure can be seen again and again.
When creating such fractals, he was interested in the visual beauty of mathematics and the possibility of generating images that appear natural but are completely produced artificially. The motifs are printed on velour carpet and are presented on the wall as tapestries.
The works of Thomas Ruff once again combine historical influences with his own contemporary perspective. By integrating elements of abstraction and conceptual rigor, he succeeds in expanding the boundaries of traditional photographic practice.
Special opening hours during düsseldorf photo+ Biennale for Visual and Sonic Media:
Friday, 17 May, 11am - 9pm
Saturday, 18 May, 11am - 6pm
Sunday, 19 May, 12pm - 4pm
