Thomas Ruff
Photography pretends to show reality. With your technique you have to go as near to reality as possible in order to imitate reality. And when you come so close [to reality] then you recognize that, at the same time, it is not [reality].
Thomas Ruff via Journal of Contemporary Art, 1993
Thomas Ruff’s (1958, Germany) photography suggests the possibilities of his chosen medium, as he uses techniques ranging from digital manipulation to antiquated darkroom processes. Ruff series’ subjects include portraits, empty domestic interiors, images by NASA, computer-generated Pop imagery and obscured pornography. Though many of his series seem to beg a sociocultural interpretation, perhaps the most constant feature in Ruff’s career is his disavowal of such a reading. Instead Ruff focuses on aesthetics and process, building an eclectic oeuvre not defined by genre, method, or theme, but rather by stark imagery and the clever subversion of the printed image.
