Albrecht Tübke

ALBRECHT TÜBKE (Leipzig, Germany ,1971).
"Citizens Portaits TSF 05", 2001.
Photograph type C. Edition 4/6.
Measurements: 47 x 37 cm; 69 x 59 cm (frame).
Born in Leipzig, Germany, in 1971, Albrecht Tübke is currently one of the most recognized European photographers. Inspired by and generally interested in the human being, his work is based on depicting the human figure framed in situ, allowing them to wear their own clothes and pose in front of his camera as they see fit. He lets his subjects create their own multifaceted persona, always in different ways, either masking or emphasizing their individuality.
In the words of Val Williams about the Citizens series, "When Albrecht Tübke began photographing the people he encountered in the cities of Europe and the United States, he became part of a long tradition of documentary portraiture. Like his illustrious predecessor August Sander and more recent practitioners such as Judith Joy Ross and Rineke Dijkstra, Tübke seeks to have the people photographed present their own imbued solitary drama. "Many people," he writes, "try to hide their emotions and feelings as they go about their daily lives. "This public persona is often calculated to mask what is inside, creating an appearance of individuality, a fabrication to hide behind. "Tübke has created, from real life, a cast of characters who play their part in the urban drama. All the people he has photographed pose in the same way, directly in front of the camera, in front of a concrete backdrop or stained brick wall. A man in an oversized jacket and a paisley
scarf, a woman in a white tracksuit, a middle-aged redhead in a solid, urban denim, a dark-haired woman with a vintage suitcase, a scruffy man with a shopping bag. These are people with their own secrets, joys; Anxieties, fears and anticipations, but we can only wonder what they are. Tübke's photographs are cool and beautiful enough to be fashion images, a studied reflection of street style, but in the end, this is belied by the democracy of his vision."