Thomas Ruff exhibition, NYC

By Teo van den Broeke

German artist, Thomas Ruff, will this month present a brand new body of work at New York's David Zwirner Gallery. The photographer's sixth solo exhibition in the space, the show will feature two as-yet-unseen series, 'Cassini' and 'Zycles'.

Showcasing Ruff's ability to make an image out of anything, both series find influence in scientific studies – the obvious next step in a 25-year career that has touched on everything from the nude, to landscape and architectural photography.

Ruff's 'Cassini' series was influenced by a selection of images found on NASA's public website. The result of a four-year space programme on the part of NASA, exploring Saturn and its outer rings, Ruff has transformed the raw black-and-white prints with interjections of saturated colour.

Similarly rooted in science, the ‘Zycles’ series has a more abstract edge. A filigree of curves, modelled around screenshots of electromagnetic fields and 'cycloids' – apparently regarded as the most aesthetic of curves, in mathematical circles – the images highlight how, in the words of the gallery, 'structures become more complex as you examine their details'.

17 February 2010 | Art