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Olaf Wipperfürth
Born (1966-06-04) June 4, 1966 (age 59)
Düsseldorf, Germany
NationalityGerman
Known forPhotography, Film, Mixed Media

Olaf Wipperfürth (born June 4, 1966, in Düsseldorf, Germany) is a visual artist known for his work in photography, film, and mixed media.

His fine art photography explores themes of memory, absence, environmental awareness, and ephemeral space, often blending poetic and philosophical elements with a cinematic visual language. His emotionally expressive photographic style has also shaped his portraiture and fashion work, leading to collaborations with magazines such as Vogue, Interview, Rolling Stone, and Numéro, and with luxury brands including Dior, Balmain, Kenzo, Chaumet, Boucheron, and Nike among others.

Life and Work

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Wipperfürth studied philosophy and art history in Duisburg and Düsseldorf, focusing on aesthetic experience in contemporary art and philosophy. His research explored the concept of the aesthetic moment, particularly in relation to the works of Jacques Derrida, Jean-François Lyotard, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty.

In 1994, he moved to Paris, where he completed his doctoral thesis Der ästhetische Restwert: Bemerkungen zu einer Ästhetik des Augenblicks ("The Aesthetic Remainder: Remarks on an Aesthetic of the Moment"), published in 1999 at the University of Duisburg.

Inspired by filmmakers such as Andrei Tarkovsky, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and John Cassavetes, the choreography of Pina Bausch, the photography of Tomatsu Shomei and the German underground culture of the 1980s, Wipperfürth began working in fashion and portrait photography in 1995. His work often captures gestures and expressions in fleeting moments, continuing his exploration of presence and absence.

He also developed his fine art projects. Early examples include Glas (1996), portraying blurry shadows of sex workers behind windows in Amsterdam (Glas - Quadratur, ISBN 3-9806677-2-3), and Windowblack (1996), as well as the video installation Aquarium (1996).

His first major editorial work was a book on Oceanic art in 1995: Oceanic Art, text by A.J.P. Meyer, Könemann Edition, (ISBN 3-89508-080-2.)

In 1997, he produced a series of black-and-white portraits for Belgian fashion designer Dries van Noten, a collaboration that continued for several years.

Wipperfürth has photographed numerous public figures, emphasizing movement and spontaneity over staged poses. Subjects have included Jane Birkin (Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin), David Beckham, Peaches (Rolling Stone), Elaine Zhong Chuxi (Vogue China), Jon Kortajarena (GQ), Paz Vega (L’Uomo Vogue), Devon Aoki (Harper’s Bazaar), Gaël Monfils (GQ), and Stephen Dorff (Crash Magazine).

Recent Work

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Since 2020, Wipperfürth has increasingly focused on mixed media, integrating photography with painting and installation.

Two projects address environmental fragility through a poetic lens: Disko Bay (2019–2022), developed during an artist residency in Ilulissat, Greenland, reflects on environmental transformation and geological memory through depictions of melting icebergs.[1][2] It was first exhibited at the Museo Civico di Zoologia in Rome (2022). The work Interstate/s (2024) was shown at Remèdes Galerie as part of PhotoDays in Paris.[3]

In a 2025 interview with Niccolò Lapo Latini in Mia le Journal Magazine, he described his work as "pictures of memory, time and perception, blurring the lines between documentary and fiction".[4]

Selected Exhibitions

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  • 2024 – Interstate/s, Remèdes Galerie, Paris (PhotoDays)[5]
  • 2022 – Disko Bay – Photography and Paintings, Museo Civico di Zoologia, Rome[6]
  • 2022 – Disko Bay – Mixed Media Works, KunstRaum Goethe-Institut Rom (Rome Art Week)[7]
  • 2018 – Any Human Heart – Cinematic Portraits, Pin Up Studios, Paris
  • 2014 – Windowblack, NoGood Gallery, Paris
  • 2014 – Aquarium, video installation, NoGood Gallery, Paris
  • 2008 – Beauty in the 21st Century: Traumfrauen (group show), Deichtorhallen, Hamburg

Awards

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  • 2025 – ReFocus Awards Black & White, Honorable Mention (NYC) for Prelude[8]
  • 2023 – Nominee, ReFocus Awards Black & White, Portrait Category[9]
  • 2020 – Finalist, Center of Contemporary Artists, COCA20[10]
  • 2018 – Tokyo International Foto Awards (TIFA), Shift series[11]
  • 2018 – TIFA, Honorable Mention, for The Giraffe[12]
  • 2018 – PX3 (Prix de la Photographie, Paris), for The Mud Cycle[13]
  • 2018 – Monovisions Awards, Honorable Mention, The Mud Cycle[14]
  • 2017 – Fine Art Photography Awards, Finalist for Nudes, Sumo[15]
  • 2017 – International Photographer of the Year, Honorable Mention, for The Mud Cycle[16]

Selected Publications

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  • Glas – Quadratur, text by Prof. Dr. C. Rülcker, ISBN 3-9806677-2-3
  • L’intérieur – 24 Poses, text by Carine Soyer, ISBN 2-84779-005-5
  • Oceanic Art, text by A.J.P. Meyer, Könemann Edition, ISBN 3-89508-080-2
  • The Fashion Book – Dries van Noten, Phaidon, ISBN 0-7148388-X
  • The Golden Anniversary – Dries Van Noten (Limited Edition)
  • L’Or blanc du Loch Ness, text by Hervé Jaouen, Gallimard, ISBN 2-07-050497-2
  • Dries Van Noten, Les Arts Décoratifs, ISBN 978-2-919614-48-0
  • Beauty in the 21st Century, Dumont Edition, ISBN 978-3-8321-9102-3

Selected Short and Advertising Films

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References

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  1. ^ "Olaf Wipperfürth. Disko Bay – Photography and painting - Arte.Go: Mostre, Eventi, Corsi e Concorsi". August 2022.
  2. ^ segnalazioni, eventi e (July 13, 2022). "Olaf Wipperfürth Disko Bay Photography and Paintings". art a part of cult(ure).
  3. ^ "Remèdes — Photo Days". photodays.paris.
  4. ^ "OLAF WIPPERFÜRTH // Interview • Mia Le Journal". December 5, 2024.
  5. ^ "Olaf Wipperfürth_interstate/s". Remèdes Galerie.
  6. ^ Parmegiani, Elena (July 12, 2022). "Al via Disko Bay – Photography and Paintings sui surriscaldamenti globali". VelvetMag.
  7. ^ "Incontro con l'artista Olaf Wipperfürth e visita della mostra Disko Bay | 27 Ott 2022". Rome Art Week.
  8. ^ "Olaf Wipperfürth | Honorable Mention (People)". reFocus Awards.
  9. ^ "reFocus Awards | Login". reFocus Awards.
  10. ^ "Olaf Wipperfürth".
  11. ^ "Olaf Wipperfurth, Honorable Mention Winner - The workers". www.tokyofotoawards.jp.
  12. ^ "Olaf Wipperfürth, Honorable Mention Winner - The giraffe". www.tokyofotoawards.jp.
  13. ^ "PX3 2018 - The Mud Cycle".
  14. ^ "Olaf Wipperfürth - HONORABLE MENTION". monovisionsawards.com.
  15. ^ "Fine Art Photography Awards - Olaf Wipperfürth Nominee in Nudes". fineartphotoawards.com.
  16. ^ "Olaf Wipperfürth | The Mud Cycle". iphotographeroftheyear.com.
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Category:German photographers Category:German artists Category:1966 births Category:Living people Category:Contemporary artists

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