Anton Corbijn: inwards and onwards

The large-format portraits featured in the exhibition »Inwards and Onwards« testify to the substantial body of artistic work that Anton Corbijn has created. Apart from striking photographs of true music legends such as Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith or Tom Waits, who have always fascinated Corbijn, the photographer has focussed in his recent work on modern personifications of artistic inspiration such as Marlene Dumas, Gilbert & George or Jeff Koons. Working only in black and white with a Hasselblad camera, Anton Corbijn aims to reduce his photo shoots to the essential. He uses his subjects’ familiar environments as settings and works on his own with available light – assistants or artificial lighting are off-limits for him. Corbijn understands the camera as a means to an end – ultimately, he tries to capture the personality and the character hidden deep within the person portrayed beyond any kind of superficial staging although some playfulness is sometimes apparent as with Damien Hirst’s photograph and that of Jeff Koons. Hodgson's essay illuminates Corbijn's work shown in the exhibition of the same title (April 21 – June 9, 2012, CAMERA WORK, Kantstraße 149, 10623 Berlin)