Just as life is an intuitive balance between the inner and the outer worlds, the head and the heart, Wolfgang Zurborn’s photographs are a balance between illusion and reality. That’s what the Germany-based photographer has tried to communicate to young India in his workshops in Ahmedabad and Kolkata organized by The German House for Research and Innovation (DWIH).The results of the workshop are now being showcased at the Christ University until November 29. Wolfgang’s works are featured in several spaces around the world including Museum Folkwang, Essen; Fotomuseum im Münchner Stadtmuseum; Museet for Fotokunst, Odense, Danmark; Portland Art Museum and Garanti Bank Istanbul, Turkey.
“This is the best way for me to learn about India, through the eyes of young photographers. In this way you get a complex view of reality. What is important is that the exhibition is not only showing normal Indian clichés like colour, but it is full of details of real life. And so I call it, ‘The Theatre of life’. It is not really an illusion and it is not all objective reality. It is a personal, perceived world,” says Wolfgang, who is also releasing a book, The India Vision Quest adding to Drift ,Catch and China! Which China?
From the dying tradition of cinema (excluding commercial cinema) to intimate portraits of street life, the project aims to capture a direct perspective of India. “We have focused on the complexity of the relationship between tradition and Westernization. India is a great country and it is in between so many influences. It is important for me as a German to say that I have come here to learn, and marvel at how so many people can live together in the world’s biggest democracy.”
Wolfgang says he always looks for things that push him, and represent them in democratic ways that do not often seek to represent a particular reality but offer a portal for people to look at every day life a little differently. “I have a collage-like view of the world, everything is important for me. I hope my pictures show things that people normally oversee. People always look for drama, for the spectacular and they fail to see the objects of everyday life. Giving these objects a new meaning is important for me and the collage is my visual strategy,” he explains.
“It is about the relationship, often a contrast, between people, circumstances and things. There is a contrast between the soft and the hard. People may not understand it at first glance, but it makes them curious.”
That’s why his photographs almost always offer a fragmented reality, that take objects out of their normal context. For Wolfgang, it is never about the whole scenery, he captures excerpts to create vivid patterns.
“The public space, therefore, is important for me because in many European cities, there is not so much of life in public. People are going back to their private spaces, they may even be forced to do so after the terror attacks. Life in public is important because we learn as human beings, in relation with others, as they become mirrors.”
And so many of his works also capture shadows and reflections of glass or mirrors that are so abundant in urban spaces. “It is important to make this deconstruction of reality. I want to irritate the spectator. I take objects out of their normal purpose so we can look at them in another way. People are then able to see layers and other meanings. The collage-like look of my photographs is a result of a visual strategy of reflection.”
His images, he describes, are ambivalent and often leave the viewer with a mixed feeling. They are both beautiful and horrible at the same time. “In a world full of media propaganda, this mixed feeling is important for me because photographs usually give a clear answer. I don’t want normal descriptions. I want to use this medium to show more complexity, to say that things have different meanings. I want to create a fantasy for the spectators that make them think while enjoying the pictures.”
That is why his photographs never have themes, because he does not wish to illustrate words with photographers. Rather, he would like the photographs to speak for themselves. “Susan Sontag once said that journalists think in themes and artists, in visual language. Photography, often in the documentary or journalistic context, is about illustrating text. I want images to have their own language. That’s what I am working and fighting for.” Most often, photographers have a concept in mind before they go out to shoot but Wolfgang prefers a direct, spontaneous approach where concept follows image.
“This is quite opposite to the German strategy of photography and some strong works have also come out of it. Though there are different ways of working, it is not possible for me to have a strict concept. I never know what I will find when I go out into the streets, I can never plan a photograph. There’s a constellation of everything out there, suddenly something catches my eye and that’s it! I am often surprised by what I see. It’s important for me to be surprised by my own photographs.”
