Thomas Ruff

THOMAS RUFF (Zell am Harmersbach, Germany, 1958).
"Nude 034". 2001.
Iris print on laid paper.
Edition of 50 copies.
Signed and numbered on the back.
Measurements: 75 x 60 cm.

In his "Nudes" series, Ruff appropriates existing images, downloading generic photos from pornographic "thumbnail galleries" on the Internet, which he then enlarges, distorts and transforms. Blurring, both literally and figuratively, the distinctions between pornography and formalist nude photography, Ruff also enhances the artificial atmosphere of the tiny "originals" by exponentially increasing the size of his images. In the process, each image is detached from its source, relegating the subject to the background and prioritizing its formal and aesthetic value.

Thomas Ruff began his career with landscape photography, after which he moved on to photographing interiors and inexpressive portraits of his friends, as part of the generation that took part in the political and social changes that occurred with the fall of the Berlin Wall. Between 1977 and 1985 Ruff studied photography at the Academy of Fine Arts in Düsseldorf, along with other photographers, today of recognized prestige, such as Candida Höfer, Andreas Gursky and Thomas Struth, and who are part of the so-called Düsseldorf school, whose parents are Hilla and Bernd Becher. His first portraits are small format and in black and white, but he soon makes the transition to color. In 1986 he began to experiment with large formats. With his series Haus (1987-91) he explores themes beyond portraiture. Other relevant series from this period are Zeitungsfotos (1990-91) or BlaueAugen (1991). During the Gulf War, Ruff uses a night viewfinder to produce gloomy images of the streets of Düsseldorf in his series Nacht (1992-96). In his later works he continues to explore the digital manipulation of images, in this context he executes his series of nudes, the Substrat series (2002-03) and the Machine series (2003). Ruff has had solo exhibitions since 1981 in various international centers and museums. He lives and works in Düsseldorf.