Ralf Obergfell

Ralf Obergfell is a German photographer known for his artistic portraits, travel photography, photojournalism and his book and exhibition Last Stop Routemasters, which focuses on the general phase-out of the AEC Routemaster double-decker bus in London in the early 2000s.^[1] Last Stop Routemasters was displayed at the London Transport Museum in 2008, accompanied by an interactive website which was later permanently archived for preservation by the British Library.^[2] Obergfell has worked extensively in Southeast Asia and was an eye-witness to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, nearly drowning off the coast of Thailand.^[3]

Biography

Ralf Obergfell was born in Freiburg, Germany in 1971 and grew up in nearby Staufen im Breisgau. He lived in London from 1991 to 2010 where he trained at the University of the Arts London, gaining his bachelor of arts in 1999. Obergfell currently lives and works in Berlin, Germany and travels extensively in Southeast Asia.

London

Obergfell lived in London from 1991 to 2010. In 2004, he joined Photodebut, a London-based collective of 25 emerging photographic artists. His work later appeared in Case Study, an art photography volume released by the collective. His first solo exhibition Last Stop: Routemasters, focusing on design, cultural and social aspects of the AEC Routemaster, was shown at the London Transport Museum in 2008. Obergfell collaborated with artist Tony Hornecker to create his second solo exhibition Beautiful Freaks at the Dalston Superstore in 2009. The photographs displayed during this exhibition featured drag artists who appeared at East London nightclubs around that time.

Working in creative collaboration with acclaimed artist Jonny Woo, Obergfell co-organized the popular LGBT club event Gutterslut in London during this period.^[4] Gutterslut was referred to by The Guardian as "an East London staple"^[5] and eventually attracted attention from international partygoers, drag artists including Jodie Harsh^[6] and celebrities such as the Pet Shop Boys whose singer Neil Tennant said of the party: "'These days, we often go to Berghain [the infamous Berlin club] on a Sunday lunchtime, or Gutterslut in east London. [...] I personally like crazy nights with ridiculous drag queens, not people taking photos of the DJ all night.'"^[7]

Southeast Asia

Starting in 2004, Obergfell has regularly worked in Southeast Asia, creating photographic travelogues and working on photojournalistic projects in Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia. He was photographing at sea on a fishing boat when the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami occurred. The boat was nearly capsized by the tidal wave. Obergfell collected his photographs taken throughout the region for an exhibition called Urak Lawoi, selections of which premiered in Singapore in 2015. Selections from the collection were shown in Berlin in 2016 and a solo exhibition will take place in London in 2017.

Berlin

In 2010 Obergfell moved to Berlin and opened a photographic studio to pursue his various artistic projects. He revived his Beautiful Freaks exhibition in 2012 in Berlin.^[8] His recent work focuses on artistic portrait photography using amateur models.

Critical reception

Obergfell's work has been well received by critics. The interactive website accompanying his Last Stop Routemasters exhibition and book, as well as a portrait he took of drag queens, have been selected by the British Library for permanent archival in the interest of national heritage.^[2][9] His revival of the Beautiful Freaks exhibition in Berlin was widely praised by local and international press.^[10] The Berliner Zeitung referred to the exhibition as "twisted and wonderful".^[8]

Work

• Last Stop Routemasters (2008) – exhibition, book and interactive website
• Beautiful Freaks (2009) – installation and exhibition; (2012) revival exhibition
• Urak Lawoi (2015-2017) – exhibition
• Poikas – ongoing portrait series

References

External links

• Last Stop Routemasters