Wolfgang Tillmans votes Remain in latest London exhibition

The German photographer Wolfgang Tillmans confesses he has ‘morphed in recent months from an inherently political, to an overtly political person’. It’s a sentiment seemingly shared by many. The lead-up to the EU referendum on 23 June has seen a relentless barrage of fervid campaigning, impassioned pleas and heated contentions from both sides of the aisle.
So to London, where the theme – and timing – of his new solo exhibition at Maureen Paley couldn’t be more appropriate, however coincidental. Featuring new and previously unseen work, Tillmans’ latest effort hones in on the ‘visible and invisible borders that define and sometimes control us’.
The self-titled exhibition comprises a characteristically eclectic mix of subjects, including immigration counters, pastel landscapes, street portraits and even a particularly squirm-inducing, close-up of human blood flowing through medical tubes. Upstairs, a new grouping of tables from his ongoing truth study center series have been installed. Another work, I refuse to be your enemy 2, (2016), collates blank sheets of office paper from North America and Europe. Inspired by a student workshop Tillmans gave last year in Iran, the artist comments on the parallels in nationalised forms of printed communication.
The largest work, The State We’re In, A (2015), takes pride of place in the downstairs gallery. Capturing a stark expanse of water in the Atlantic Ocean, where ‘international time lines and borders intersect’, it’s the work that resonates most with Tillmans’ pro-EU poster designs, examples of which are being presented on the exterior of Maureen Paley.
‘What is lost is lost forever’ says one poster; ‘No man is an island. No country by itself’ declares another. Originally launched in April, the works are available freely on his website, where Tillmans encourages their download and dissemination as posters and T-shirts. He has also dedicated his Berlin project space, Between Bridges, to the refugee crisis. The line between where Tillmans the artist ends, and Tillmans the campaigner begins is becoming all the more blurred.
The photographer recently captured the Tate Modern’s Herzog & de Meuron-designed extension for our latest issue and limited edition cover, ahead of a major retrospective there early next year. With the EU referendum just over a week away, it will be fascinating to see how Tillmans responds to this ‘one-in-a-generation moment’.
The self-titled exhibition comprises a characteristically eclectic mix of subjects printed in varying sizes
Ahead of the EU referendum in just over a week, the timing – and theme – of Tillmans' show could be more appropriate
Tillmans' works question the notion of borders. A close-up of human blood flowing through medical tubes outside of the human body (pictured right) sits alongside landscapes and street portraits
I refuse to be your enemy 2, 2016, collates blank sheets of office paper from North America and Europe. Inspired by a student workshop Tillmans gave last year in Iran, the artist comments on the parallels in nationalised forms of printed communication
Installation view at Maureen Paley, London
Meanwhile, examples of Tillmans’ pro-EU posters are being presented on the exterior of Maureen Paley. ‘What is lost is lost forever’ says one poster
INFORMATION
The exhibition is on view until 31 July. For more information, visit Maureen Paley’s website
Photography © Wolfgang Tillmans. Courtesy of Maureen Paley, London
ADDRESS
21 Herald Street
London E2 6JT
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Pedro y Juana's take on architecture: 'We want to level the playing field’
Mexico City-based architects Padro y Juana bring their transdisciplinary, participatory approach to the Mexico pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025; find out more
By Ellie Stathaki
-
The Sialia 45 cruiser is a welcome addition to the new generation of electric boats
Polish shipbuilder Sialia Yachts has launched the Sialia 45, a 14m all-electric cruiser for silent running
By Jonathan Bell
-
Tokyo design studio We+ transforms microalgae into colours
Could microalgae be the sustainable pigment of the future? A Japanese research project investigates
By Danielle Demetriou
-
The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt will be shown at Tate Modern
The 42-panel quilt, which commemorates those affected by HIV and AIDS, will be displayed in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall in June 2025
By Anna Solomon
-
Meet the Turner Prize 2025 shortlisted artists
Nnena Kalu, Rene Matić, Mohammed Sami and Zadie Xa are in the running for the Turner Prize 2025 – here they are with their work
By Hannah Silver
-
‘Humour is foundational’: artist Ella Kruglyanskaya on painting as a ‘highly questionable’ pursuit
Ella Kruglyanskaya’s exhibition, ‘Shadows’ at Thomas Dane Gallery, is the first in a series of three this year, with openings in Basel and New York to follow
By Hannah Silver
-
The art of the textile label: how British mill-made cloth sold itself to Indian buyers
An exhibition of Indo-British textile labels at the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) in Bengaluru is a journey through colonial desire and the design of mass persuasion
By Aastha D
-
Artist Qualeasha Wood explores the digital glitch to weave stories of the Black female experience
In ‘Malware’, her new London exhibition at Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, the American artist’s tapestries, tuftings and videos delve into the world of internet malfunction
By Hannah Silver
-
Ed Atkins confronts death at Tate Britain
In his new London exhibition, the artist prods at the limits of existence through digital and physical works, including a film starring Toby Jones
By Emily Steer
-
Tom Wesselmann’s 'Up Close' and the anatomy of desire
In a new exhibition currently on show at Almine Rech in London, Tom Wesselmann challenges the limits of figurative painting
By Sam Moore
-
A major Frida Kahlo exhibition is coming to the Tate Modern next year
Tate’s 2026 programme includes 'Frida: The Making of an Icon', which will trace the professional and personal life of countercultural figurehead Frida Kahlo
By Anna Solomon