Thomas Wrede, born in Germany in 1963, is widely known for his tricks on the eye.  Wrede still lives and works in Muenster where he photographs his "landscapes."  The initial reaction to the subjects in his photos is one of obvious recognition: a house, a truck, a tower.  But after further observation, the viewer's eye adjusts to the subtle nuances of the scene which somehow do not add up.
 

 

 

In his latest series "Real Landscapes", the pictures involve placing miniature model houses, Matchbox cars and vehicles, and groups of buildings into authentic sand landscapes, thus "capturing" reality.

Taken from an aerial perspective, his photographs aim at visually overwhelming the viewer, creating vast panoramic scenes that fluctuate between the idyllic and the catastrophic. What is compelling about his images is the portrayal of the natural elements as ominous forces.     

     

 

In another series Wrede produced entitled "Small Worlds," his shots of solitary means of transportation in expansive exteriors convey a sense of ambiguity. For example, as seen below in his photograph Truck, we see a single truck on a road. Wrede is trying to make the viewer think he is exhibiting the obvious, but we are obliged to search for additional meaning and to defend the legitimacy of the object. The viewer is tempted to assume the truck must be real, encouraging a search for such evidence as to make it genuine, peaking our curiosity.

 

 

 

Tag-arts offers art advisory services for collectors primarily interested in emerging and mid-career artists.  If you have further interest in tag-arts or Thomas Wrede's work, please contact Emily Greenspan via email at emilygreenspan@tag-arts.com or by phone at 212 920 4146 or find us at www.tag-arts.com.   To view previous tag-arts artist profiles and newsletters, please click on our archive.