Peter Piller

 
Peter Piller (born 1968 in Fritzlar, Germany) studied German language and literature and trained as a visual artist. He has been working with found images, photography and drawing since the 1990s. Ever since working at a newspaper press clipping service as an art student in Hamburg, Piller has concerned himself with the collection of visual material and its subsequent re-contextualization into thematic series, in order to give it new meaning and dimensions. To this day, the Peter Piller Archive has grown to thousands of images—its sources including a commercial aerial photography archive, images from the internet as well as historical postcards. Informed by his perceptive observations and subtle sense of humor, this archive is constantly and meticulously rearranged to represent new associative formations that offer insightful perspectives on the activities and rituals of daily life. The wide spectrum of subject matter ranges from the depiction of (cultural) landscapes, people touching cars or looking into holes, to the juxtaposition of traditional role models, protest signs, trained dogs and much more.
Piller has exhibited widely such as with Richard Prince at the Weserburg Museum, Bremen in 2021. Further solo exhibitions include the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München; Mies van der Rohe Haus, Berlin; Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg; Deichtorhallen, Hamburg; Kunstverein Braunschweig; Kunstmuseum Bonn; Kunstforum Baloise, Basel; Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam, among others. He has participated in numerous group shows, most recently at the Weserburg Museum, Bremen and Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, but also at Centre de la Photographie Genève; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Fondazione Prada, Milan; Lenbachhaus, Munich; MoMa PS1, New York City; Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin, to name just a few. Peter Piller's work can be found in public collections such as Kunstmuseum Bonn, Museum Ludwig, Cologne; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Fotomuseum Winterthur; Sammlung Falckenberg, Hamburg; Sammlung Rheingold, Mönchengladbach; Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, among others. Piller is a professor of fine art at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. Prior to this, he was the professor of photography at the HGB Leipzig, from 2006 to 2018.

(external link : www.peterpiller.de)
 
Peter Piller - Spekulationen (III) - Begleiter
2023
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Nieves
The third volume of the artist's book series dedicated to prehistoric cave painting mostly features photographs taken in everyday life and on trips, as well as found illustrations from scientific publications in various disciplines.
Peter Piller - Spekulationen (I) - Unbestimmte Linien
2023
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Nieves
The subject of this and the following books in the Spekulationen series is Peter Piller's approach to Stone Age art and its presence in his daily life. This volume presents four hundred and nine photographs found in publications on prehistoric art.
Peter Piller - Spekulationen (II) - Zahlreiche Übergangsformen
2023
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Nieves
The second volume of the artist's book series dedicated to Peter Piller's field of research of prehistoric cave painting features Piller's own drawings.
Peter Piller - Materialien (J) - Peripheriewanderungen Bremen
2022
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Nieves
Peter Piller's peripheral excursions around Bremen.
Peter Piller - Materialien (H) - Irrläufer
2017
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Nieves
A parallel side story of the steirischer herbst International Art Festival drawn from the back-sides of cut-out articles from the festival's press archives.
Peter Piller - Materialien (E) - Peripheriewanderung Winterthur
2015
no text
Nieves
Artist's book.
Peter Piller - Materialien (F) - Nachkriegsordnung
2015
bilingual edition (English / French)
CPG (Centre de la photographie Genève)
The press photographs reproduced in this publication show the bombing of Bagdad. They were taken from German newspapers soon after the beginning of the second iraqi-american war in March of 2003. Following their removal they were placed and stuck in the centre of a piece of paper, aiming to be as precise as possible (artist's book).
Peter Piller - Kraft
2011
bilingual edition (English / German)
JRP|Editions - Artists' books & editions
Artist's book.
Peter Piller - Materialien (C) - A 40 Bochum Dükerweg
2010
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Nieves
(last copies available!)
Photographic portrait of the near surroundings of Ruhrschnellweg, freeway 40 in Bochum, Dükerweg with allotments, car tuning, cemetery, Burger King, noise barrier and fire station.
Peter Piller - Nimmt Schaden - Schweizer Landschaften / Swiss Landscapes
2008
bilingual edition (English / German)
JRP|Editions - Artists' books & editions
sold out
A selection of images from the archives of a Swiss Insurance: an intelligent and humorous insight into everyday catastrophies.
Peter Piller - Deko + Munition (postcards)
2008
no text
Nieves
sold out
A collection of photographs found on eBay using the search terms Deko + Munition (ammunition + decor).
Peter Piller - Zeitung
2008
German edition
JRP|Editions - Artists' books & editions
sold out
More than 2000 illustrations chosen from newspapers: the most complete compilation to date of Peter Piller's collection of found images.
Peter Piller - Teilzeitkraft
2007
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JRP|Editions - Artists' books & editions
sold out
Artist's book: office drawings.
Peter Piller - Nijverdal / Hellendoorn
2007
English edition
JRP|Editions - Artists' books & editions
sold out
A portrait of a Dutch community using photographs and images found in the regional newspaper or in the archive of local companies.


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