I’m spontaneous, my camera is not. But why take photos of a photographer? I found he looks like a different version of ewan mcgregor. Last week, there was a talk with juergen teller at the university of applied arts in Vienna. In a small gallery an exhibition of him just opened. Anyway, it was quite interesting what he said. Or what he did not say.
It seems he likes his new role as photo-columnist for Zeit (german newspaper), which he uses for mind-exhibition and diary. Some like it, some don’t. if you are interested in how bad juergen teller is, wait for his next project called “literature about juergen teller”, which consists of all these reader’s opinions of Zeit. Yes, that’s his humor. No wonder he left Germany, germans are serious.
Juergen tells us about his first nude shoot– it was Vivienne Westwood. Her skin and her. Now that I think back, it seems to me, that nudity must be a big thing.
Charlotte rampling, old friend of juergen and beloved motive for him, never undressed in front of his camera till he got nothing less than the louvre for setting. Impress to undress I would say. Naked in the Louvre. Charlotte rampling - I have to google her, juergen mentioned her just too often.
So, you are a photographer, your job is to dig into big personalities and squeeze it on a small photo. Quite exhausting. Juergen relaxes by rebuilding his own big personality in self portraits. Preferably naked, to see the impact of skin and a womb, like a lanscape.
How I got to know juergen; through his ads for marc jacobs ( sorry, I didn’t know that clothes annoy you actually, juergen), trashy flash, cold white and unnatural settings, weird people. when I think of his photos, I think of grunge. When asked which soundtrack would fit his photography, he suggested nirvana, sung by his son.
Among all these funny stories, juergen can be serious in a way. Some photos are daring, as they are quite personal. Although he adds, that he imagines and changes reality in his photos - so who knows
