Space odyssey: photographer Thomas Ruff heads to the moon with new work

New York's David Zwirner Gallery
The Düsseldorf photographer Thomas Ruff is celebrating his latest series of work with the show ‘press++’ – 12 large scale photographs devoted to early space exploration, on view at New York’s David Zwirner Gallery
(Image credit: David Zwirner)

The Düsseldorf photographer Thomas Ruff is having his day in the sun, with the Art Gallery of Ontario's ‘Object Relations’, a major solo show, opening this month.

Closer to home, Chelsea’s David Zwirner Gallery is celebrating Ruff’s latest series of work. Included in the exhibition, ‘press++’, are 12 photographs – some a staggering eight feet in length and six feet across – all devoted to early space exploration.

For his eighth exhibition with the gallery, Ruff has plucked up American newspaper photographs and clippings dating from the 1950s, which he sourced on Ebay.

While referencing German Dada artists’ photomontages from the 1920s, Ruff reinvents the medium of photography by first scanning the front and back of those press photographs, many of them marked up and cropped by newspaper editors, and some even including typed captions. He then combines the two sides via Photoshop and prints the digital file on a larger scale.

In doing so, Ruff creates an entirely new image and puts his personal spin on high tech photography.  ‘I want to confuse information,’ he says of the images, depicting rockets lifting off, astronauts and close-ups of the moon with text.

New York's David Zwirner Gallery

Ruff has plucked up American newspaper photographs and clippings dating from the 1950s, which he sourced on Ebay

(Image credit: David Zwirner)

Astronauts close-ups of the moon with text

Ruff first scans the front and back of press photographs, many of them marked up and cropped by newspaper editors (some even include typed captions), and then combines the two sides via Photoshop before finally printing that on a larger scale. Pictured: press++01.16, 2015

(Image credit: David Zwirner)

Depicting rocket lifting off

In doing so, Ruff creates an entirely new image, putting his personal spin on high tech photography while also referencing German Dada artists’ photomontages from the 1920s. Pictured: press++01.65, 2015

(Image credit: David Zwirner)

Various aircraft's image

‘I want to confuse information,’ says Ruff of his images. Pictured: press++01.20, 2015

(Image credit: David Zwirner)

INFORMATION

’press++’ is on view until 30 April. For more details, visit David Zwirner’s website

Photography of courtesy of David Zwirner New York/ London

ADDRESS

David Zwirner Gallery
533 West 19th Street
New York, NY 10011

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