Overview
Wolf's photographic work tackles the complexity of city life through observations of how vernacular architecture and public space are used.
Flowers will present Michael Wolf's first solo exhibition in the UK. Wolf's photographic work tackles the complexity of city life through observations of how vernacular architecture and public space are used. This exhibition will be constructed from the following groups of work: Architecture of Density, Tokyo Compression, Transparent City.
Architecture of Density is a study of Hong Kong's high rise residential developments. The structures are photographed on large format in extreme detail without the context of sky or ground. Some buildings are seen in a state of repair or construction, adorned with grids of bamboo scaffolding, and protective fabric.
These large scale works operate as studies in abstraction and minimalism but offer an undeniable sociological context. On close inspection we see architecture as a framework upon which its inhabitants hang their personalities; clothes lines, bird feeders, mops and air conditioning units appear to give the feeling of peering into a human petri-dish.
Tokyo's subway is infamous for its cramped conditions but the psychological effects of the uncompromising close human proximity experienced daily by thousands of workers are rarely depicted. Tokyo Compression captures the moment and reaction when individuals are forcefully sandwiched between their fellow commuters and the parameters of the carriage. Heads are bowed, sometimes contorted unwillingly into unnatural positions of supposed rest. Noses, fingers and knuckles are compressed against the glass, eyes are almost always shut.
Transparent City depicts the architecture of both domestic and office buildings in the city of Chicago - a place renowned for its iconic towers. The structures are composed and compressed into groups and surfaces rather than shown individually. Wolf's distinctive views of Chicago can be thought of as metropolitan hives and reveal manifold sub-narratives beyond each glossy facade. Layered glass allows the viewer to discover fragments of life, just decipherable, through the geometric patterns: a young girl appears from underneath an office blind, parts of torsos and limbs are cropped unnaturally by window frames, whilst views into rooms allow us to peep into personal dwellings.
Wolf's photographic work tackles the complexity of city life through observations of how vernacular architecture and public space are used.
