Light plays a major role in his photography and many times, it is from the perspective of light that the subject in his photographs is revealed. “Light is the most important thing in photography, through which i am essentially capturing things in a particular moment of time. And within a few seconds, light can make the same object appear different,” he explains.
Thomas Florschuetz
Biography
Thomas Florschuetz was born in 1957 in Zwickau, Germany. Florschuetz lives and works in Berlin and is one of the most significant photographers currently working in Germany, with an established reputation both at home and abroad. Thomas has been been especially dedicated to the fragment, bordering abstraction, since the beginning of his work. As a photographer, Thomas is best known for his large-scale montages of images of his body, which he called “early bodyfigures” (1980-1990). In these works, Florschuetz explored his interest in vanity and subjectivity, documenting a sort of performance in which he revealed various parts of himself—hands, feet, and face—to the camera. His work since has focused on capturing a fragmented experience of architectural and natural forms and spaces, playing on the difficulty of perceptual distinction between interior and exterior. And in recent series, he has photographed flowers and airplanes, presenting close-up shots from various angles in combination in an effort to produce a total visual experience of his subjects.
Light plays a major role in his photography and many times, it is from the perspective of light that the subject in his photographs is revealed. “Light is the most important thing in photography, through which i am essentially capturing things in a particular moment of time. And within a few seconds, light can make the same object appear different,” he explains.
Awards
2000
Artist in Residence, Villa Aurora, Pacific Palisades, USA
1997
Förderpreis der Helmut-Kraft-Stiftung, Stuttgart
1994
Dorothea-von-Stetten-Kunstpreis, Bonn / Stipendium des Kunstfonds e.V., Bonn
1988
Arbeitsstipendium des Senators für kulturelle Angelegenheiten Berlin / Artist in Residence, Lightwork, Syracuse, New York
1987
Preis für Junge Europäische Fotografie, Frankfurt/Main
Exhibitions
2013
“Glas/Wasser”, Galerie m Bochum, Germany, Bochum
“Extrakt”, Vitra Design Museum Gallery, Weil am Rhein
“Assembly”, Museum Wiesbaden
2011
“Imperfekt – Works 1997-2010” , Brandts Museet for Fotokunst (Museum of Photographic Art), Odense, Denmark
“Thomas Florschuetz: Museumsinsel”, Goethe-Institut, Paris, France
2010
Thomas Florschuetz , Galerie m Bochum, Germany, Bochum
Thomas Florschuetz: Buildings and Structures, Galerie m Bochum, Germany, Bochum
2009
Thomas Florschuetz: Jets, Galerie Volker Diehl, Germany, Mitte
2008
Lippische Gesellschaft für Kunst, Städtische Galerie Lemgo
Multiple Entry, Deutsche Bank Berlin
2007
Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow
Palastbilder, Galerie Volker Diehl, Berlin
2006
Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, São Paulo
Christian Dam Gallery, Copenhagen
Christian Dam Gallery, Oslo
2005
Drei Räume, Residence German Embassy, London
Christian Roellin Galerie, St.Gallen
Blick ins Freie, Haus am Waldsee, Berlin
Neue Arbeiten, m Bochum, Bochum
2004
Sprichst du mit mir – Are You Talking To Me?, Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz
Sprichst du mit mir – Are You Talking To Me?, Kunstmuseum Bonn
Are You Talking To Me? – Sprichst du mit mir?, BALTIC Center for Contemporary Art, Gateshead
Recent Work, Gary Tatinstian Gallery, New York
