'juergen teller i need to live' oscillates between intimacy & humor at milan triennale

juergen teller i need to live at milan triennale

From January 27 to April 1, 2024, Triennale Milano presents Juergen Teller i need to live, the largest-ever survey show on the German photographer’s work, covering his creative output from the first half of the 1990s to the present day. The star of a minority group of internationally acclaimed photographers highly regarded in both commercial photography and contemporary art, Juergen is best known for his candid portraits of celebrities, influential fashion editorials, and distinctive campaigns for various designers. The exhibition was initially held at the Grand Palais Éphémère in Paris from December 16, 2023, to January 9, 2024, and is curated by Thomas Weski in collaboration with Teller and Dovile Drizyte.

image © ModificaDelfino Sisto Legnani – DSL Studio, courtesy Triennale Milano

over 1,000 works surveying teller’s comico-tragical style

Since gaining prominence as a photographer in London in the early 1990s, Juergen Teller has also produced significant bodies of personal works in which he explores himself, his family, his roots, and his identity. In the past five years, Teller has collaborated with his wife, Dovile Drizyte, in mutual projects reflecting their relationship, marriage, and parenthood. These works are defined by a typical mixture of serious, intimate, yet often humorous characters created in the grotesque style. Joining forces with Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello and Juergen Teller, i need to live compiles over 1,000 works, bringing together both personal and commissioned projects, recognizable images, and new photographic series as well as videos and installations.

Self-portrait for Business of Fashion, London 2015

The selection of works partly differs from that of the Grand Palais Éphémère: for all intents and purposes, this new exhibition is designed for the spaces of Triennale Milano. The title, ‘i need to live’ represents Teller’s reaction to existential incidents which have shaped his life, sometimes in tragic ways. The artist addresses these topics in the same manner as he practices his photography in a straightforward, realistic style, which is completely his own. With unique imagery, the German photographer celebrates the value of being alive while acknowledging the fragility of human existence. Meanwhile, the exhibition layout was entrusted to 6a architects, who designed the artist’s photography studio in West London in 2016. Their specialist knowledge of Teller’s practice, acquired during the planning process, informed the congenial design, creating individual sectors within Triennale Milano.

Björk and son, Iceland 1993 | all images © Juergen Teller, courtesy Triennale Milano

Teller is the author of over forty artists’ books, made in collaboration with Gerhard Steidl of Steidl Verlag, Gottingen, over the last twenty years. A wide selection of these books are presented alongside other publications, magazines, and printed matters in the show, displaying the cultural context, in which Teller’s work is often featured first. On the occasion of the exhibition at the Grand Palais Éphémère in Paris and at Triennale Milano, the publication i need to live, edited by Steidl and with texts by Leïla Slimani, Anthony Vaccarello, Rick Owens, Roni Horn, Thomas Weski, Tom Emerson, and Alistair O’Neill, was produced by Juergen Teller and Dovile Drizyte. In parallel, four author’s books, edited by Steidl, were published: Juergen Teller, Fashion Photography for America 1999–2016; Juergen Teller, Jurgaičiai; Juergen Teller, More Handbags; Juergen Teller, The Myth. All publications are available online and at the Triennale store.

Alaato Jazyper, Saint Laurent Autumn Winter 2022 campaign, Le Lavandou, France 2022