Woo! exhibition at ICA, London

Thanks to a fantastic new exhibition at the ICA London (Institute of Contemporary Arts), I’ve been reminded of one of my favourite photographers – Juergen Teller.

The new exhibition, Juergen Teller WOO!, is his first solo showcase in a decade. ‘Woo’ is the title based on Will Ferrel’s character in ‘Eastbound and Down’ by the way – amazing. Showcasing over 20 years worth of advertising, editorial and personal archives of photography, the exhibition includes some of his most famous portraits of Westwood and Kate Moss.

I still love this shot of Victoria Beckham for the 2008 Marc Jacobs campaign. Teller comments on this piece:

‘This picture of Victoria Beckham was for Marc Jacobs and it was very important not to laugh at her with the image but to laugh with her, and I thought of what she is and how she has made herself a product of her own making. So I thought why not just get a big shopping bag and put her in it?’

Having been a fan of Teller’s work for a few years, see below for some of my favourite shots. There are some critics who criticise the artist/photographer and feel that his work is devoid of actual talent and his trick of using high profile celebrities is an easy win to get mass audiences to see his work. When questioned on this, the executive director of the ICA, George Muir states the below:

“Whether Juergen Teller’s photography is art, or whether he is an artist or photographer, or both, or none of the above, or anything connected with such thoughts, can only lead us astray. Teller’s work is about great images.”

A quote from Teller himself sums up his personal outlook: “I am just curious about life and things around me.”