© Michael Wolf , Corner Houses Hong Kong, 2010 (print screen)
© Michael Wolf , Tokio compression, 2010 (print screen)
© Michael Wolf , The Transparent City, 2008 (print screen)
I’ve tried to pull back and not make a post each time I see someone’s work I find relevant but don’t personally like, but this is an exception (as there have been others).
Michael Wolf is definitely a talented photographer and I’m sure a very energetic person, since the rythm of his production is overwhelming.
Having said this, is my opinion that he works in series, not in projects, and for that I make him an example of one of the issues in the definition of contemporary photography vs art. Not that one or the other is more or less relevant, (even if we have our own tastes) but we should learn to call things by its names, and not be afraid to invent new concepts if there isn’t one to describe the object of our concern.
As far as I can understand it, a project is a research-type approach to a subject, in which the formal aspects are not determining the content of the imagery, even if is commonly cataloged as a series; a series is a much more superficial approach to a subject where repetition is often used to tight things together and make a point.
I’ll be using these words more thoughtfully in this blog from now on…
More of Michael’s work here
