Wolfgang Zurborn
Wolfgang Zurborn was born 1956 in Ludwigshafen / Rhein, Germany. He became fascinated by photography at an early age and studied at the Bavarian State School of Photography in Munich from 1977 to 1979 and at the University of Applied Sciences in Dortmund under Professor Hans Meyer-Veden from 1979 to 1984. In 1985 he was awarded the Otto-Steinert-Fellowship by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie, DGPh (German Society of Photography) to support his project, “Menschenbilder – Bildermenschen” (“People Pictures – Picture People”), that he presented 1987 at the Folkwang Museum in Essen. In 2008 he received the German Photo Book Award for his Publication “Drift”. At the Vonovia Award for Photography 2018 he received a nomination for his series “Play Time”, with which a book was published by Fotohof edition in 2021.
Zurborn has had numerous solo shows of his work in many European countries and in the United States of America. Haus der Photographie, Deichtorhallen Hamburg, presented an overview on the work of Wolfgang Zurborn with his early b&w-photographs from the 80s and the series “Drift” and “China! Which China?” in 2009.
Zurborn has participated in important group shows including the exhibition of 20th century German photography curated by Klaus Honnef and Gabriele Honnef-Harling “Von Körpern und anderen Dingen” (“On the Body and Other Things”), in Prague, Moscow, Berlin and Bochum during 2003 and 2004 and “Prospect Photographie”, curated by Peter Weiermair at the Frankfurter Kunstverein in 1989.
In addition to making and exhibiting his own artwork, Wolfgang Zurborn is continually interested in communicating the richness of contemporary photography in its various forms. Together with Tina Schelhorn he has directed Gallery Lichtblick in Cologne for 37 years and has presented approx. 200 exhibitions of international photography. In 2010 he founded the Lichtblick School in Cologne. Since 1998 he is a member of the board of directors of Deutsche Fotografische Akademie, DFA (German Photographic Academy). He also teaches photography at schools and universities in Dortmund, Berlin and Braunschweig and leads workshops in Florence, Italy, and Liptovsky Mikulas, Slovakia. In cooperation with the German House of Research and Innovation he organized 2012/13 master classes with young Indian photographers in Ahmedabad and Kolkata.
Biography
1977-79 Bavarian State School of Photography in Munich
1979-84 University of Applied Sciences, Dortmund by Prof. Hans Meyer-Veden
1985 Otto Steinert - Fellowship of German Society of Photography (DGPh)
since 1986 Coorganisator of the Gallery Lichtblick in Cologne
1994 Member of the DGPh, German Society of Photography
since 1997 Member of the DFA, German Photographic Academie,
since 1998 Board of Directors DFA
2001 Workshop berlin-project with students of the Academy
in Berlin and Karlsruhe
2003 Workshop at the University of Arts, Berlin
since 2003 Workshop at the University of Applied Sciences, Braunschweig
2005/06/08 Workshops at the school of the Fondazione Studio Marangoni, Florence
2005/06/09 Guest professorship at the Academy of Arts in Bremen
2005-09 Workshop at the Academy of Arts, Bremen
2006 Workshop at Dom Fotografie Summer Photo School, Liptovsky Mikulas, Slovakia
2007 Workshops at New School of Photography Berlin
2008 German Photo Book Award 2008 for Drift
Workshops at Fotografie Forum Frankfurt
Workshops at Reiss-Engelhorn-Museum in Mannheim
2009 Guest professorship at the University of Arts, Berlin
2011 Workshop at University of Applied Sciences, Münster
Workshop at Heidersberger Institute in Wolfsburg
Teaching assignment at the Academy of Arts Karlsruhe
2012-14 Photobook Masterclass in Arles with Markus Schaden, Frederic Lezmi,
Tina Schelhorn, Nina Poppe and Thekla Ehling
Workshop and lecture at Kolga Tbilisi Photo Meeting, Georgia
2013 Photobook Masterclass Jakarta with Markus Schaden in cooperation
with Galeri Foto Jurnalistik Antara and Goethe Institute Indonesia
Photo workshop in Ahmedabad, India, in cooperation with German House for Research and Innovation, New Delhi and National
Institute of Design, Ahmedabad
2014 Workshop in Kolkata, India, in cooperation with German House for Research and Innovation
seit 2014 Seminars at University of Applied Sciences Dortmund
2017 Photo book workshop with Markus Schaden at FFF-Academy, Frankfurt 2018 Nomination for the Vonovia Award for Photography 2018
2019 Curator of the exhibition “1000 Wirklichkeiten” on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of GDL/DFA (German Photographic Academy) at Haus der Photographie, Deichtorhallen Hamburg
2023 Curator on the exhibition #FAKE in the frame of Photo Triennial Worpswede 2023 Jury member of German Photobook Prize