One of the most influential photographers working today, Thomas Ruff (b. 1958) has throughout his career asserted that the method used to create a photograph is for him a means to an end: “There’s not one way of making photographs. There are thousands of possibilities you can choose from.… I am just interested in the result and if the result is worth discussing.” This exhibition—the artist’s first major presentation in Los Angeles and his first solo show in the city in over a decade—will survey Ruff’s production spanning over four decades of his career from 1979 to 2024, highlighting the multiplicity of procedures he deploys to create his photographs.
The photographs on view will trace his arc from the analogue to the digital, both underscoring his incorporation of new technologies as they emerge and simultaneous reliance on the old. The exhibition will provide an overview of Ruff’s most important series, including Interieurs (Interiors, 1979–1983), Porträts (Portraits, 1981–1991/1998–2001), Häuser (Houses, 1987–1991), Sterne (Stars, 1989–1992), l.m.v. d.r. (1999–2004), nudes (1999–), Substrat (Substratum, 2001–), jpegs (2004–), Fotogramme (Photograms, 2012–), Negative (Negatives, 2014–), flower.s (2018–), and the recent expériences lumineuses (2024–).
