Wolfgang Tillmans

Wolfgang Tillmans (*1968 Remscheid, DE) is one of the most significant photographers in contemporary art. His work, which ranges from documentary-style portraits to abstract images, combines photographic prints, photocopies and a variety of other photographic techniques with found materials to form collage-like arrangements. The two Tillmans works in the EPO collection depict an actual piece of paper. Paper drop (Roma) shows a sheet of paper lying in a delicate draped fold on a white surface – no more, no less. The puzzling nature of this close-up, however, rests on its appearance as a poetic still life, while lending an abstract quality to the everyday nature of the motif. The viewer is drawn to the perfection of the sculptural shape and to the rich nuances of the coloured shadows created by the interaction of light and dark. The resulting images hover in perception between figuration and abstraction.