Thomas Ruff's Photographic Paradoxes at Lia Rumma, Naples
Thomas Ruff, born in 1958 in Zell am Harmersbach and associated with the Düsseldorf School, presents a solo exhibition at Lia Rumma gallery in Naples. The show highlights his radical approach to photography as both artistic and representational medium, emphasizing thematic heterogeneity through serial works. It begins with modified documentation of Jackson Pollock's 1958 Whitechapel exhibition, where subtle adjustments reframe the gallery and artworks. Subsequent works explore image construction and manipulation, enlarging analog photographs to reveal retouching marks. The exhibition concludes by combining negative series—printing the negative itself—with 3D experiments that translate mathematical curves into abstract landscapes, referencing Man Ray's photograms. This reaffirms Ruff's thesis that the construction of representation is as significant as the subject.
Key facts
- Thomas Ruff was born in 1958 in Zell am Harmersbach.
- Ruff is associated with the Düsseldorf School.
- The exhibition is held at Lia Rumma gallery in Naples.
- The show features serial works emphasizing thematic heterogeneity.
- It starts with modified documentation of Jackson Pollock's 1958 Whitechapel exhibition.
- Ruff enlarges analog photographs to highlight retouching marks.
- The exhibition combines negative series and 3D experiments.
- 3D works translate mathematical curves into abstract landscapes referencing Man Ray's photograms.
Entities
Artists
- Thomas Ruff
- Jackson Pollock
- Man Ray
Institutions
- Lia Rumma
- Düsseldorf School
- Whitechapel Gallery
Locations
- Naples
- Italy
- Zell am Harmersbach
- Germany