Frieze DJ in Residence: Wolfgang Tillmans

For your listening (and dancing) pleasure: a playlist curated for issue 229 of frieze magazine by artist Wolfgang Tillmans, featuring the soundtrack behind the installation of his upcoming exhibition at the MoMA and a few personal additions.  

In a profile of Tillmans included in the latest issue of frieze magazine, Jeremy Atherton Lin considers the artist’s search for truth and his many ways of looking. Instead of constructing narratives, Tillmans masters the art of observation, presenting detailed surfaces which reflect everyday reality. His music is an embodiment his artistic style, generating sparks rather than a singular perspective.  

When asked about the creation of the playlist, the artist confessed: ‘Initially, I thought it would be a fast thing to compile a playlist for Frieze magazine to run concurrently with their cover story. By the time I started the MoMA installation in New York, I should have been done with the list. But instead, it turned into an ongoing labour of love and also became the soundtrack to the sixteen installation days and nights. I let the deadline of late August pass and finally today on September 3 I’m releasing a list of 124 songs that mean a whole lot to me. At the end I added six of my own tracks. The list points to so many more pieces of music that could be included. It’s a snapshot, a mood, and many moments.’ 

The exhibition ‘Wolfgang Tillmans: To look without fear’ is on view at the Museum of Modern Art, New York from 12 September 2022 to 1 January 2023

_{Thumbnail: Wolfgang Tillmans, Resolute Rave, 2020. Courtesy: the artist and Maureen Paley, London}

_{Main image: Wolfgang Tillmans, ‘Fragile’, 2022, exhibition view, Art Twenty One, Lagos. Courtesy: the artist, David Zwirner, Hong Kong/New York, Galerie Buchholz, Berlin/Cologne and Maureen Paley, London}