The Hirshhorn here in DC has had a very well reviewed exhibit by the German photographer Wolfgang Tillmans. It closed on August 12 (today) so I went to see it yesterday. The subject matter and display seem to share a lot with life in our times. There's almost too much to take in during one visit. Sometimes photographs are displayed too far up the wall to accurately see them. Tabloid headlines and newspaper articles are blown up to unnatural sizes. Casual portraits of everyday life: lovers, hanging out, and some poses are interspersed throughout. Its diverse but not incoherent, almost as if the artist has taken these things to his heart and the centrifugal force of life has thrown them on the walls. Tillmans also seems to be responding to our deluge of information. The blow ups of headlines and news articles force you to read the troubling stories. Stuffed into the daily fishwrapper, they're easily forgotten or dismissed. When they're five feet high, their content can't be ignored. I'm glad I caught the exhibition and of course a lot of his work can be seen on the Web.
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