Juergen Teller: The Clinic

Carefully designed in accordance with Juergen Teller, the booklet The Clinic combines two distinguishing levels of his work: the private sphere that is always touched upon and the thematically-precise introductions to his photography on photography. Francesco Bonami notes in his accompanying text: Juergen Teller creates comedy and drama at the same time, and the result is some kind of fiction. Quite often Teller appears in the picture, becoming the subject, the main character, and admits a second voice or gaze into the narrative, suggesting that what we see is not entirely what he sees. Creating distance is a very theatrical strategy to allow the spectator to be aware of his or her own presence and participation in the artist’s play. Francesco Bonami’s creed regarding Juergen Teller’s photography mentions accordingly: I think that whoever experiences a miracle must have some premonition or better early feelings of it. I believe that is what happens to Juergen Teller day after day. His pictures are all signs of potential miracles. Like at a miracle site, people do not allow disappointment or despair but focus on each moment, just in case that could be the exact moment when the miracle will happen. The miracle maybe is just in every moment–that’s why we miss it or cannot see it. In each of Teller’s images we have the same feeling. We don’t despair or get disappointed because maybe that’s exactly it.