Freischwimmer 155

Wolfgang Tillmans' "Freischwimmer 155" belongs to a series of photographs that challenge what we traditionally consider a photograph to be.

Tillmans created this image without a camera or a lens, working directly with light, chemistry, and photo-sensitive paper in the darkroom. The technique is called a photogram or, more specifically, a chemogram. The swirling, organic forms, which look like abstract water currents or cosmic dust, are the result of random chemical reactions on the paper, caused by developers and fixers being applied, poured, or splashed.

The meaning lies in its materiality and randomness. It celebrates the pure potential of the photographic medium beyond representation. Instead of capturing the world outside, it captures the process of photography itself. It’s an embrace of chance and a reflection on how beauty and form can emerge from simple, spontaneous chemical interaction. It asks us to look at light, color, and process as the true subjects.