
Freischwimmer 104
2004
"Freischwimmer 104" is a photograph by Wolfgang Tillmans from his ongoing series depicting swimmers in natural bodies of water, exploring themes of freedom, vulnerability, and human interaction with nature. The work exemplifies Tillmans' characteristic aesthetic of intimate observation and naturalistic color photography, capturing candid moments that balance documentary clarity with poetic abstraction. Like much of his practice, the image interrogates the relationship between the photographic medium and lived experience, presenting the body as a subject of both formal and phenomenological interest.
- Spotted At
- Auction House · Phillips
🔨 Auction Lot
Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale
October 10, 2024
Lot 20
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Rineke Dijkstra
Dutch · b. 1959

Dijkstra's beach and swimmer series photographs figures in and near water with the same intimate naturalistic color photography and careful balance between documentary observation and poetic vulnerability that defines Freischwimmer 104. Both artists explore the human body in aquatic environments with large scale prints and a serene yet psychologically loaded clarity.
Jem Southam
British · b. 1950
Southam creates large scale color photographs of natural water bodies and their surroundings that share Tillmans' meditative quality, minimalist composition, and interest in light dissolving across water surfaces. His work similarly occupies the space between documentary photography and abstract contemplation of natural environments.
Sian Davey
British · b. 1964
Davey's intimate color photography captures candid human figures in natural settings with the same warmth, vulnerability, and unstaged authenticity that characterizes Tillmans' approach in this series. Her naturalistic palette and sensitivity to light in outdoor environments closely mirrors the serene yet emotionally charged quality of Freischwimmer 104.
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