Nacht 7 II

Thomas Ruff's Nacht series manages to create the same sensation of singularity and social alienation as many of his other series. By using night vision equipment most commonly used by military or other governmental departments, the Nacht works create an environment of surveillance and intrusion. However due to the sheer size of the images and the subject matter Ruff manages to challenge this conception. He chooses uninteresting and banal buildings, which reveal nothing about themselves. The size of the image helps to soften the greenish illumination and create a peculiar painterly mood, contradicting the techniques more obvious purpose of surveillance. In all his work Ruff insists on symmetry and engaging the subject head on which creates a zone of representation where by he confronts the imperfections of the world directly. Like much of Ruff's work, the depiction of the object does not determine the interpretation of the piece, instead it is the implementation of the media and his specific technique that distinguishes him from many other of his peers.