PHILIP-LORCA DICORCIA
20 JUNE – 8 SEPTEMBER 2013
 
For the very first time in Europe, the Schirn will host a comprehensive retrospective on the oeuvre of US photographer Philip-Lorca diCorcia. Born in 1951, diCorcia is one of the most important and influential photographers of today. His images oscillate between everyday elements and arrangements that are staged down to the smallest details. In his oeuvre, images that are seemingly close to reality taken with an ostensibly documentary eye are undermined by highly elaborate direction of the images. One of the key topics that diCorcia addresses is the issue of whether reality can be represented and this is one of the continuous threads linking his photographs, most of which he creates as series. For example, for Hustlers (1990–1992), he took photographs of male prostitutes in minutely staged settings, while for what is presumably his most famous series, Heads (2000–2001), he captured a second of the everyday life of passersby on the street in New York, who were oblivious to him. Alongside the series Streetwork (1993–1999), Lucky 13 (2004) and A Storybook Life (1975–1999), the exhibition at the Schirn, organized in close collaboration with diCorcia, will also feature works from his new and ongoing East of Eden project.
 
Curator: Katharina Dohm (Schirn Kunsthalle)