Juergen Teller talks to Tate Modern's Chris Dercon about rainbows and models' bottoms and celebrity neurosis
Some of the most interesting moments happen during Frieze. One highlight was Patti Smith performing with PJ Harvey. Another was Juergen Teller in conversation with Tate Modern Director, Chris Dercon as part of Soho House's In Conversation series. "Juergen has always had a taste for the zeitgeist," Dercon said in his introduction. It was a special evening – Teller's brilliant images (from his self portraits to his striking editorials, campaigns and personal projects) are ubiquitous in our society, but we are less used to seeing the artist discussing them. Here, we present our highlights from the talk, focusing on elements of Teller's working practice.
"I photograph everything as long as my heart is in it, as long as I’m interested in it" — Juergen Teller
Juergen Teller on self portraits...
"After working a lot in the fashion industry and doing a lot of record covers and photographing a lot of celebrities, it is actually psychologically really draining to get involved with [each of them] and deal with all their neuroses about... 'how do I look good in this and this and this'... I did that a lot! There was a key moment I photographed an actress – I was really happy with the result and she said , 'Oh my God Juergen, you’ve made me look 10 years older!” I just thought, “Fuck! She thinks she’s 10 years younger than she is!' But that was so depressing for me, so shocking, that that’s when I thought, actually, I just want to photograph myself. And nobody is going to say I look stupid, I look fat, I look this, or that or the other."
On his relationship with his father...
"I did a picture of my father’s grave. He was a heavy alcoholic who killed himself. It was a complicated relationship. I always rejected this whole suicide thing with my dad and then suddenly I thought, 'actually I sort of understand'. I was at my mum's house at the time, and as she does, my mum rattles through my suitcase and she finds this image [of the grave], she just flips out. Of course it's disturbing – it's disturbing for me to be naked with a beer bottle and a football and a cigarette on my dad's grave. But for me, it was a longing to love my dad, or trying to understand my dad."
On his subjects...
"I make no distinction between a man and a woman, a car or an apple, a landscape or food. I photograph everything as long as my heart is in it; as long as I’m interested in it. Everything is the same. I instinctively smell the environment I am in. I try to deeply get an understanding of the clothes and the situation and I see how it goes and then something comes out of it. I don’t have a complete, preconceived idea of exactly what I’m going to do. I think that’s why my photographs are good, because I depend on the subject."
On the need to work quickly...
"There’s this naked girl, Saskia and it's unexpectedly 28 degrees in Paris – super hot. We’re in this park with these roses and water and then I see a rainbow! I just say, 'Oh my God, Saskia go over there!' – so she kneels down and suddenly the rainbow goes right into her arse! Fucking great! That’s normal for me you know – but you have to be fucking fast!"
Juergen Teller was in conversation with Chris Dercon at Shoreditch House, in partnership with BMWi.
Text by Laura Bradley
