26th June – 19^th September 2010

Wolfgang Tillman’s new exhibition opened at the Serpentine last weekend and focuses mostly on work he has done over the last six years.

The show is hung beautifully, varying in scale, big and small proudly together. The gallery space vibrates with intensity and colour in one corner then stops you in your tracks with a fuck off piece in the other. Many of the figurative photographs were taken on Tilllman’s recent travels but they share a commonality in their depictions of humans living their lives. Roy (2009) is a tender glimpse into a moment in time for a mother and child and the almost sculptural Anders pulling splinter from his foot (2004) is as its called but leaves the viewer lost in the routine.

The photographs in this show often have a painterly quality and through bending and manipulating in pieces such as Lighter, blue concave I (2008) they become visions of textured, bright minimalism.

His work at the Venice biennale last year was magnificent but cluttered and heavy. In this exhibition he has produced a meditative and joyous show, one of the most exciting of this year so far.

Helen Nisbet.