Can art and space speak to each other and to us? Rebecca Tucker goes behind the scenes with German photographer Wolfgang Tillmans as he mounts his new show at the Art Gallery of Ontario
requiem about the horrors of war and he actually dedicated it to four friends of his who d fallen in the first world war now this i think you d be very happy that this production is now part of the commemoration of the one hundredth anniversary of the first world war it s generally considered to be one of the greatest choral works of the twentieth century it is a stunning sort of monumental work who rise up to all history has it s got a big chorus of members a. choir of stages well the streets soloist as well and this current production at the english national opera has as its artistic director the celebrated photographer the. tillmans and so let s have a look at what he s come up with as artistic director. photographer of often kill moments is snap happy at his premiere as set designer the piece that the english
a very ominous thing. so i understand from a report that he already won the turner prize but he s not british i know but he was the first one who was known british to win the turner prize actually it is the leading prize for contemporary art and it s awarded to an artist and i quote from their website who has contributed the most to british culture in the last in tillmans when he won it in the year two thousand he was living and working in britain so that s why he got it there have been known brits who ve won it since then he now he lives also here in berlin and you find him sometimes deejaying in techno clubs i mentioned he was a musician he s actually produced his own music just a couple of years ago released the. e.p. of music complete with video of course and he even appears in it and sings as well let s hear him for a few seconds. actually
counterculture brave techno parties dirty apartments he shot it all. the young people who are of generation europe happily traded in the fact. for cool brittania optimism and sexual freedom tillmans for himself into the debauchery of the club scene and documented it for the world in two thousand at the age of thirty two he won the turner prize the u.k. s most prestigious contemporary art award is famous for awarding controversial artists. more than a decade and a half later tillmans is still provocative in twenty seventeen the tate modern in london was the venue for a major tillmans exhibition. it showcased pictures from tillman s