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Thomas Ruff: Transforming Photography

By (artist) Thomas Ruff / Contributions by Okwui Enwezor
Published by David Zwirner Books
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

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About The Book

Over the course of his three-decade career, Thomas Ruff has taken up many approaches to photography in his investigation into the status of the image in contemporary culture.

In Thomas Ruff, the artist presents new work that continues his ongoing probe into the history, processes, techniques, and technology of photography. One of the most influential photographers working today, Ruff has redefined photography’s conceptual possibilities, simultaneously capturing and challenging the essence of the medium as a means for visual experience. He has investigated various photographic genres, including portraiture, the nude, and landscape and architectural photography, using both analog and digital technologies, and culling imagery from scientific archives, print media, and the internet.

Presented here is a selection of Ruff’s most well-known works, as well as the newer Tripe/Ruff series, begun in 2018, which draws on negatives of India and Burma taken in the 1850s by an officer in the East India Company army. Also included is a conversation between Ruff and Okwui Enwezor, which took place at Haus der Kunst in Munich, in connection with the artist’s retrospective then on view. The conversation, published here for the first time, has been edited for this volume and examines Ruff’s artistic practice and inspiration, serving as an engaging and dynamic introduction to the artist.

Published on the occasion of the artist’s solo exhibition at David Zwirner, Hong Kong, in 2019, Thomas Ruff is available in both English-only and bilingual English/traditional Chinese editions.

Product Details

  • Publisher: David Zwirner Books (September 3, 2019)
  • Length: 76 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781644230176

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Raves and Reviews

“For decades now Thomas Ruff has been recontextualizing and repurposing the photographic image in intriguing ways that challenge audiences to rethink what photography is and can be."

– Gemma Padley, Elephant

“Thomas Ruff is one of the key figures of photography in the postmodern era.”

– John L. Tran, The Japan Times

“For four decades, the renowned German artist Thomas Ruff has produced work that interrogates the nature of photography itself.”

– Liz Jobey, Financial Times

“Thomas Ruff’s lens-based work is a playground unto itself, where the possibilities are endless.”

– James Adams, The Globe and Mail

“Mr. Ruff’s work, though far from unknown, is not seen nearly as often as it should be.”

– Andrew Dickson, The New York Times

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