Thomas Demand

Together with Andreas Gursky, Thomas Ruf and Candida Höfer, Thomas Demand is one of the most celebrated photographers of the so-called Becher School from the art academy in Düsseldorf. Demand applied himself to photography out of the need to record his sculptures. He is known for his unique photos based on recreations of divergent settings made from paper and cardboard. He often bases his creations on images from the media that refer to social or political controversies. Although he challenges the tradition of photography as the reliable documentation of people, places and events, Demand is more interested in the dismantling of power and neutralising the effect that the media has on our culture. In 2005, the MoMa in New York organised the first overview of his work. Last year, he presented his work under the title 'Camera' at the Hamburger Kunsthalle and as 'Black Label' at the Center for Contemporary Art, Kitakyushu (J). He also exhibited a photo in the Belgian pavilion at the architecture biennale in Venice as a part of the exhibition by the Brussels architecture firm Office Kersten Geers David Van Severen. Incidentally, from 5th March to 3rd May 2009, deSingel will be presenting a solo exhibition by Office.