Thomas Demand has gained world wide fame by creating three-dimensional models that look like real images of rooms and other spaces. He then captures them as still photograqphs, the resulting images being the final pieces of art. The original, often life-sizedmodels are then destroyed after they have been captured with Demand's large format camera.The artist draws his inspiration often from real life events and old newspaper photographs. Noticable is the lack of people and any form human life.
I think the imagination works better if you don’t have people, because if there are people, you look at it as an anecdote. If you have an empty space that in this case is animated and has lots of signs of life, it is actually like reading a novel or something. You basically create in your own mind what is happening or what the space represents, and for me, that is much more interesting.
Demand was born and grew up in Bavaria. He currently resides in Berlin and Los Angeles. His work has been shown at major art centres all over the world and Melbournes National Gallery of Victoria will exhibit photographs and 35mm films of this exciting artist from 30 November -17 March 2013.Where: NGV International,Melbourne,Temporary Exhibition Space 2 & 3,Level G, 180 St Kilda Road.For those of you interested in reading an interview with the artist follow this link to the German newspaper Die Zeit. Demand speaks in this interview about the time he grew up in Germany (he was born in 1964) and how it might or might not influence art. If you have difficulties understanding the article feel free to contact Sibylle from Language Excellence via e mail: info@languageexcellence.net
