Moray Mair, Arts Blog Mutantspace, March 14th, 2014:
“Torsten Schumann‘s photographs highlight the absurdity of life, that brief second in the day when chance creates a surreal juxtaposition, a moment of silliness, profundity, irony, a tell that exposes the world for what it is, a pointless journey towards inevitable death that’s intermittently interrupted by a comical situation that distracts us from our existential angst. The nightmare of ordinariness that we, as people, manage to turn into a drama of Greek proportions, full of tragedy and farce.
It’s on the streets of Germany that we find Schumann walking, his camera pointing at the most extraordinary collisions, his clever compositions catching us off guard, his formal aesthetic skewed by a mania, a euphoria that runs counter to the yawning boredom of suburban life. His pictures are full of delight, stupidity and irritation, of people trying to outwit their boredom yet blind to the magic that surrounds them. Perhaps this is the ultimate irony. In highlighting the utter pointlessness of life Schumann manages, through a visual act of dexterity, to reveal the magic and sublime comedy that makes it all worthwhile. …”
Celina Lunsford, Artistic Director & Chief Curator at Fotografie Forum Frankfurt, 2011:
“Torsten Schumann is obsessed with what people do in their freetime, especially outdoors, in nature, in the garden or on the street. He collects the split seconds of everyday situations that are irritating and odd. The perfect world of suburban Germany and post wall industrial breakdown floats on an innertube of surrealist air.
Born in Dresden in 1975 Schumann began photographing in the early 90´s at a time when self-reflection of German identity allowed him to bare the touch of self-irony.
Torsten Schumann lives and works in Berlin.”
BIOGRAPHY
SOLO AND DUO EXHIBITIONS
2020 “Out and About”, Duo exhibition with Beate Köhne, Städtische Galerie Lehrte (DE)
2019 „More Cars, Clothes and Cabbages“, Blumberg Gallery, Potsdam (DE)
2018 „Autofocus“, Duo-Show with David Schikora, Jarvis Dooney Gallery, Berlin (DE)
2018 „More Cars, Clothes and Cabbages“, Fotografische Gesellschaft Trier, Treves (DE)
2018 “The search for the Original Plant”, MINIMUM, Palermo (IT)
2017 „More Cars, Clothes and Cabbages“, Soiz Gallery, Passau (DE)
2016 “How to structure Things in Space”, Duo exhibition with Andrea Grützner, exp12, Berlin (DE)
2016 „More Cars, Clothes and Cabbages“, 25books, Berlin (DE)
2015 „Nichts für ungut“, Gallery Alles Mögliche, Berlin (DE)
2014 Fenster61, Berlin (DE)
2014 „Collocations“, Kapelle am Urban, Berlin (DE)
2013 „Wild & Sauerkraut“, Foxhole Gallery, Berlin (DE)
2012 „Being Prepared“, Fotopension Köln, Cologne (DE)
2012 „Schmuck“, Fenster61, Berlin (DE)
2009 Kunst-Kombinat Trier, Treves (DE)
GROUP EXHIBITIONS [selection]
2020 “reGeneration4”, Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne (CH)
2020 „60 Days of Lockdown“, A4 Art Museum online, Chengdu (CN)
2019 “12+12”, ep.contemporary, Berlin (DE)
2019 “Sino Grün”, insitu stuuc, Berlin (DE)
2019 “Square Bricks and Round Heads” installation for “Mur(s)”, PhotoHouse, Arles (FR)
2019 “Show your Darling IV”, Atelier Sabine Wild, Berlin (DE)
2018 „anscheinend_BERLIN“, EMOP Berlin, Galerie Ruhnke, Potsdam (DE)
2018 „Answers Without Words“, Paragon Arts Gallery, Portland (US)
2018 Photo Book Showcase, Singapore International Photography Festival (SG)
2018 „Wunderkammer“, Gallery Sehnsucht, Rotterdam (NL)
2018 „Femmes, qui êtes vous?“, ParisBerlin, Arles (FR)
2018 Postcard Salon, Jarvis Dooney Gallery, Berlin (DE)
2017 „Errance Blanche“, Fotohaus, Arles (FR)
2017 Head On Photo Festival, Sydney (AU)
2017 „Living Inventory“, Kunstquartier Bethanien, Berlin (DE)
2017 Oberstdorfer Fotogipfel 2017 (DE)
2016 10+10=21, Minimum, Palermo (IT)
2016 Shortlist presentation of the photo book dummy award, UNSEEN Amsterdam (NL)
2016 „Die Erfindung des Realen“, European Month of Photography Berlin, Rechenzentrum Potsdam (DE)
2016 Kaunas Photo Festival, (LT)
2016 „FAUX“, The Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, CO (US)
2016 #Memory-Archive, Photobook Melbourne (AU)
2015 5 Jahre, exp12, Berlin (DE)
2015 OPUS-Photo Award Exhibition, HBKsaar, Saarbrücken (DE)/ Thionville (FR) / CCRN Luxembourg (LU)
2015 „CONTEXT 2015“ of the Filter Foto Festival, Chicago (US)
2015 Circulation(s) exhibition for children, Beaux arts Museum, Locle (CH)
2015 Circulation(s) Festival for young European photography, Paris (FR)
……….Projections of the selection 2015 at Fotografia Europea – Reggio Emilia (IT), Lódz Fotofestiwal (PL),
……….Format Festival (GB), Encontros da Imagem de Braga (PT), Belfast Foto Festival (IE)
,
……….BIP Biennale internationale de la Photographie et des Arts visuels de Liège (BE))
2014 „Smích a zapomnění… Laughter and Forgetting“, ArtinBox Gallery, Prague (CZ)
2014 „New Cats in Art Photography“, Humble Arts Foundation New York (online)
2014/15 International Print Competition 157 of the Royal Photographic Society, London (GB)
……….Berkeley Gallery, Royal Albert Hall/ London; Waterfront Hall/ Belfast; Banbury Museum/ Oxford;
……….Shire Hall Gallery/ Stafford; Aberystwyth Arts Centre/ Wales
2014 „FEX – Experimental Photography and Pictures from the Underground“, Kuenstlerhaus Dortmund (DE)
2014 UrbanSpree, Berlin: The Photocopy Club (DE)
2014 „Hinter den Bildern“, Atelier für Fotografie, Berlin (DE)
2013 Hotel Bogota, Berlin: Kleister / Kaetha-Project (DE)
2013 „Local Colors May Vary #Berlin“, curated collective slideshow from ACMV
2013 Encontros da Imagem, Presentation of Photographers, Braga, (PT)
2013 Slideluck Potshow Dublin in conjunction with PhotoIreland Festival (IE)
2013/14/15 Kolga Tbilisi Photo Festival, Collective Show of Finalists, Tbilisi (GE)
2013 „The Visual Archive“ of ANT!FOTO at Photo Weekend Duesseldorf (DE)
2012 Kaunas Photo Festival, Presentation of Finalists, Kaunas (LT)
2012 Arte Laguna Prize exhibition, Arsenale di Venezia/ Venice (IT)
2011 Le Dictateur Gallery, Milan, launch exhibition of Unpublished magazine, issue #3 (IT)
2008/09 Gesellschaft für Bildende Kunst Trier e.V., Treves (DE)
2008 Galerie ART-HAUS, Bad Bertrich (DE)
AWARDS / HONORS
2018 IPC Latitude Life Photography Competition: Third Prize, Category Street (IT)
2018 Finalist Guernsey Photography Festival Competition, Guernsey (GG)
2017 PDN Photo Annual Awards, photo book „More Cars, Clothes and Cabbages“, New York (US)
2017 „Off Keel“ shortlisted at Kassel Dummy Award, Kassel (DE)
2016 Scholarship Open Spine by Michela Palermo, Nico Baumgarten, FUAM Istanbul (TR)
2016 „inclined“ shortlisted at photo book dummy award UNSEEN Amsterdam (NL)
2015 Street Photography 2015 Contest by PDN and Acuity Press, New York (US)
2015 OPUS Kulturmagazin Photo-Award, Saarbrücken (DE)
2015 Finalist Licher Fotopreis (DE)
2015 Nominated for the Blooom Award (DE)
2015 Shortlisted in Felix Schoeller Photo Award (DE)
2014 Award of BERLINER LISTE – Contemporary Art Fair, Berlin (DE)
2013/14/15 Shortlisted in Kolga Tbilisi Photo Award (GE)
2013 Honorable Mention in International Kontinent Photography Awards
2012 Arte Laguna Prize, Venice (IT)
PUBLICATIONS
2018 ZEIT Magazin #38
2018 Nido #2
2017 ZEIT Magazin #45 + International Issue
2017 DFA Magazin #33 of Deutsche Fotografische Akademie
2017 Die Nacht #20
2017 PHOTONEWS 10/17
2017 Humble Cats: New Cats in Art Photography, Yoffy Press
2017 PDN Photo District News, #06/2017
2017 Der Greif #10
2017 Oberstdorfer Fotogipfel 2017 Catalog
2017 FineArtPrinter magazine 02/2017
2016 More Cars, Clothes and Cabbages, Peperoni Books, ISBN 978-3-941825-97-0
2016 Living Inventory, group exhibition catalog, Kettler
2016 Kaunas Photo 2016 Catalog: New Urban Narratives
2015 Street Photography 2015 by PDN and Acuity Press
2015 OPUS Kulturmagazin Photo Award 2015 – catalog
2015 DFA Magazin #31 of Deutsche Fotografische Akademie
2015 Circulation(s) 2015 catalog
01,03/2015 fisheye magazine #10/#12, Paris
2014 FEX – Pictures from the Underground, catalog from Kettler publisher
03/2014 Brennpunkt Magazin for Photography
2013/14/15 Kolga Tbilisi Photo catalogs
12/2011 Der Greif, Jubilee Issue #5
12/2011 Unpublished Magazine, Issue #3, Milan
07/2011 CarneMag, Issue #11, Buenos Aires
06/2011 NEON
COLLECTION
JPMorgan Chase Art Collection, New York
.