Silvio Wolf

Silvio Wolf was born in Milan in 1952, where he lives and works. He studied Philosophy and Psychology in Italy and Photography and Visual Arts in London, where he received the Higher Diploma in Advanced Photography at the London College of Printing. From 1977 to 1987 he used photography to explore the laws, language and two-dimensional nature of the image. His work has moved in directions different from those of tradition, which favoured the documentary and narrative value of the photographic image. Instead, he has pursued a more subjective, metaphorical view of reality. In this period he made polyptychs and large-format works which have been shown in Italy and abroad, including Aktuell ‘83 in Munich and Documenta VIII, in 1987, in Kassel. From the end of the 1980s to the present he has gradually introduced new languages in his work, using the moving image, still projections, light and sound, either individually or in combinations. His works have moved away from the pure two-dimensional format of photography to involve architectural space and the specificities of the places in which he operates, creating multimedia projects and sound installations. In his site-specific projects, as in all his photo-based work, the issues of limit, absence and elsewhere are always central. He has created temporary and permanent installations in galleries, museums and public spaces in Belgium, Canada, England, France, Germany, Italy, Korea, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland and the United States. In 2009 he was invited to participate in the 53rd Venice Biennale. He teaches Photography at the School of Visual Arts of the European Institute of Design in Milan, and is Visiting Professor at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Web-site: http://www.silviowolf.com