Albrecht Tübke is one of the most celebrated young photographers at work today in Europe. Several of Tübkes recent series of portraiture appear at once strikingly innovative and deceptively simple. His subjects, framed in situ in their own attire, have been given the chance to pose for the camera. Their choice of stance and gaze embody their own multifaceted public persona, which exists to mask or accentuate individual identity.
In his Pulica series from 2004, Tübke's subjects are at home in their environment. Theirs is a world where functionality and fashion co-mingle in the spectrum of Tuscan village life, where one may search for reflections of archetypal Italy in the public faof so many distinct personalities and generations.
More recently, Tübke has turned to the city to investigate how one presents his or her individual identity in the mass confusion of urban stereotypes. Donna (2008) invited women to engage with the camera, while letting the viewer ponder their choice of outfits and accessories and how these may relate anything of the individual within. In the past year, Tübke has returned to the streets of Italy in his celebrated new Personae (2009-2010) series, examining urbanites of both sexes in a virtual competition for self expression and assertion of identity.
All of Tübkes recent portraits have employed neutral backgrounds of street and wall, which have become both a stage for personal expression and also a conceptual framework documenting aspects of contemporary Europe. As the artist has stated:
"I want to show people from a variety of different backgrounds, as I am interested in the range of ways in which people present their public face. Though constant exposure to the multitude of public personae with which we are presented, we have become anaesthetised to the range of individuals that surround us. In this project, I am attempting to distil something of the essence of that individual."
Originally from Leipzig, Germany, Tübke trained at the Academy of Visual Arts, Leipzig before completing his MA at Guildhall University of London. His work has been included in numerous prestigious exhibitions in Europe, among others Animalism at the National Media Museum in Bradford, How We Are: Photographing Britain at the Tate Britain, Zeit, Raum, Bild at the Historisches Museum Frankfurt, and New Photographers 2006 at Antwerp's Museum voor Fotografie. His work can be seen in the public collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, La Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris, Museum Folkwang, Essen, Centre National de l'Audiovisuel, Luxembourg and the National Media Museum, Bradford.
Education:
2000
Master of Arts, Guildhall University of London
Master of Arts, Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig
1997
Diploma, Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig, Germany
Selected Exhibitions:
2010
Made in Italy, James Hyman Photography, London
2009
Albrecht Tübke/Massimo Vitali, The Core Club, New York
Albrecht Tübke/Massimo Vitali, "Human landscapes", Dogenhaus, Leipzig
Little History of Photography, Galician Center for Contemporary Art, Spain
Animalism, National Media Museum, Bradford, England
2008
Sander's Children, Danziger Projects, New York
Mit Abstand ganz Nah, StMuseen Zwickau
2007
How We Are: Photographing Britain, Tate Britain, London
Portraitphotography, Sonderschau der SK Stiftung Kultur zur Art Cologne
Zeit Raum Bild, Historisches Museum Frankfurt, Frankfurt (Main)
De L'Europe, CNA Centre National de l'Audiovisuel, Dudelange, Luxemb.
Ortswechse, atelier frankfurt, Frankfurt (Main)
2006
New Photographers 2006, Museum voor Fotografie, Antwerpen
Ballkünstler, Museum der Bildenden Künste Leipzig
2005
11 Positionen deutscher Fotografen, White Trash, Berlin
2004
Gallery Nouvelles Images, Den Haag
National Collection, Victoria & Albert Museum, London
Yet Untitled, Kunsthalle Nürnberg
Yet Untitled, National Museum of Photography, K, Denmark
2003
Un autre regard, Bamako
Portr, Kunstbank, Berlin
2002
Stepping In and Out, Victoria & Albert Museum, London
Tribe, Rena Bransten Gallery, San Francisco
2001
printemps de septembre, Toulouse
Dalliendorf, Linc Real Art, San Francisco
Palermo, Goethe -Institut, Palermo
Identities, Gallery Rodolphe Janssen, Brüssel
Youth, Museum für Photographie, Braunschweig
2000
In Gallery Mode, Business and Design Center, London
1999
Hanging Out, ROCKET-Gallery, London
Selected Awards:
2008
VG Bildkunst Bonn, Germany
Stiftung Kunstfonds Bonn, Germany
2002
CNA mosaique programme, Luxembourg
Berliner Senat, Germany
2000
Hasselblad Foundation, G, Sweden
DAAD, Germany
1998
Freistaat Sachsen, Germany
Grant for Documentary Photography, Wüstenrot Stiftung, Germany
Selected Collections:
Museum Folkwang, Fotografische Sammlung, Essen
Artfund of the Free State of Saxonia, Dresden
Martin Z. Margulies Collection, Miami
Rubell Family Collections, Miami
Maison Europeenne de la Photographie, Paris
Victoria and Albert Museum, National Collection, London
Sammlung DZ Bank, Frankfurt am Main
Sammlung Künne, Hannover
Sammlung Loulakis, Frankfurt am Main
Centre national de l'audiovisuel, Luxembourg
National Media Museum, Bradford, England