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Michael Wolf Estate

@michaelwolfarchive

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Official account of artist and photographer Michael Wolf (1954-2019) run by the Michael Wolf Estate

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Bastard Chairs, 1996 - 2018

“The way it works with me is that my brain follows my gut. I often see something which I find fascinating, but could not tell you why. In 1996, I fell in love with those curious broken and repaired “sitting opportunities,” and since then from every trip to mainland China, I bought one or two. It was the beginning of a collection which would ultimately consist of more than 100 objects.

They are not elegant, nor are they always comfortable. But neither are they mass-produced: they are individual. In China, the objects used for sitting are as manifold as the occasions for sitting. Each chair and stool has its own character, is a companion, a bastard, or a venerable elder. Their occupants sit close to the floor, introspective, watching the world go by, without the pressure of time.”

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Michael Wolf’s photographs document the nature of the stool as a portrait of its user. Re-assigning the objects as cultural artefacts, Wolf enacted the process of conservation and classification, inviting reflection on a disappearing cultural landscape.

Bastard Chairs are on view at the @mplusmuseum in Hong Kong by @michaelwolfarchive

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2 years ago

A few images from the recent presentation at The Armory Show, NYC, by @brucesilverstein

Having established himself through his distinctive visual language in Hong Kong, Michael later set up his second home in Paris. Confronted with Haussmannian order and the weight of the city's photographic tradition, he sought a new vantage point, and he found it by looking up. From upper-floor windows and borrowed rooftops, often with a long lens and plenty of patience, he trained his camera on the city that sits above the boulevards.

The result was "Paris Rooftops": a pivotal body of work revealing a hidden, geometric poetry. Following in the tradition of Atget, whom Berenice Abbott described as weaving a "tapestry of French civilization", Michael uncovered an abstract vocabulary of zinc roofs, chimneys and stone walls. Terracotta chimney pots stand in rows like a chorus; patched plaster and weathered zinc read like brushwork. Compressed into painterly layers, these compositions recall Fernand Léger's Les Toits de Paris and Morandi's still lifes, transforming functional structures into lyrical forms.

#MichaelWolf #ParisRooftops #TheArmoryShow #BruceSilversteinGallery #Paris Photography FineArtPhotography ArchitecturePhotography by @michaelwolfarchive

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15 days ago

"I can explain you how I see the beauty of back alleys through this image. You see, this is a gorgeous picture - Hong Kong people never throw anything away, they are very thrifty and can find use in objects that look like they belong in the lap sap. In this image we can find 3 lids of bins, 2 coat hangers, an umbrella and a little chair. All of it is tidy arranged against the fixed structure of the building; its pipes. The background has an interesting texture of squares, dirt and soft skin-type pink. The colors, the shapes and forms look very visually attractive, almost like an unintentional art installation. This image reveals traces of human activity in an indirect and intriguing way. It somehow contributes to shaping the identity of Hong Kong and its people."
— Michael Wolf, from "Accidental Art Discovered in Hong Kong's Alleyways," an interview with Eva Clifford for Feature Shoot ( @featureshoot ), April 1, 2016.

#michaelwolf #michaelwolfphotography #hongkong #contemporaryphotography

https://www.featureshoot.com/2016/04/accidental-art-discovered-in-hong-kongs-alleyways/ taken in Hong Kong by @michaelwolfarchive

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3 months ago

A few images from the Exhibition Civilization – Our Life in Focus, March 13 until July 19, 2026, Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, Ausstellungsstrasse

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Never before have so many people inhabited the Earth at the same time. In modern societies, our lives together are denser, more diverse, and more fast-paced than ever. Despite our varied lifestyles, there are key events, inventions, and experiences that connect us – whether consciously or unconsciously.
The exhibition captures similarities and differences through the lenses of around 100 world-renowned photographers.

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📷: Umberto Romito & Ivan Šuta, Museum für Gestaltung Zürich/ZHdK taken in Museum für Gestaltung Zürich by @michaelwolfarchive

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7 months ago

Wishing everyone a happy Lunar New Year with an image from the series Portraits of Chinese, 1997–1999

This series documents life in several southeastern provinces of China during a time of profound transformation, both in the cities and in the countryside.

This particular image, photographed during the Chinese New Year holidays, shows two factory workers visiting their home village in Zhejiang. In China (and in Hong Kong), it is customary to wear something new in red - a colour associated with good fortune and renewal - at this time of year. by @michaelwolfarchive

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8 months ago

After years immersed in the visual intensity of megacities, Michael Wolf relocated to Cheung Chau, a small island just 45 minutes from Central Hong Kong. Each morning, from the roof of his apartment overlooking the sea, he meditated, drank tea, and watched the sunrise emerge over Hong Kong island.

What began as a personal ritual produced 155 images, made simply out of joy and pleasure in observing light. From these, Michael selected 65 photographs, now forming Cheung Chau Sunrises: a quiet counterpoint to his architectural work, and a rare moment of distance from the city he so often depicted from within. taken in Hong Kong by @michaelwolfarchive

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9 months ago

"Many of the Architecture of Density shots seem almost ambivalent. They could be supermarket barcodes or Mayan tapestries when viewed from afar. But once you get closer, the images evolve from simple, seemingly infinite, repeating patterns to a living and breathing documentation of city life." - Michael Wolf, interview with Tom Jenkins for @port_magazine , 2014 taken in Hong Kong by @michaelwolfarchive

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9 months ago

Behind each facade sit homes, families and lives. Thinking of those affected by the tragic Tai Po fire this week by @michaelwolfarchive

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a year ago

Corner Houses, 2010

Neither grand nor monumental, Hong Kong’s corner houses were built out of pragmatism in the 1950s and 60s. Yet through Michael Wolf’s lens, these structures become vernacular landmarks of everyday charm. “They represent a much more intimate form of architecture” Wolf observed.

As Hong Kong’s skyline keeps climbing, those last remaining rounded facades and clustered windows stand as a tribute of individuality and human ingenuity. taken in Hong Kong by @michaelwolfarchive

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a year ago

Hong Kong Flora, 2003 - 2017

In the words of @marc.feustel : "Plants fight their way out from amidst the concrete, and pipes snake up the buildings' walls in patterns that resemble the roots of an ancient tree".

Michael Wolf's Flora reveals nature's beauty and melancholy reappearing in unexpected forms in a city of glass and concrete.

His work is featured in Exit 98: Flora, the new issue of @exitmedia_net , together with @joanfontcuberta_ @vikmuniz @wendymcmurdo @ferklint @joseramonais @anta_artiststudio

This issue explores the intersection of the natural and the synthetic, in a reflection on our relationship with nature in an age of environmental crisis and mass reproduction. It is available now online and in print. taken in Hong Kong by @michaelwolfarchive

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a year ago

We’re thrilled to announce Michael Wolf’s presence at Paris Photo this week with @brucesilverstein gallery. The fair brings together such incredible voices and energy, and as an estate we’re honored to see Michael’s work presented again in this context.

Will you be at @parisphotofair? Come visit us at stand B25. taken in Paris, France by @michaelwolfarchive

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a year ago

"This girl juggles 30kg jugs with her feet. During training she always wears an iron face guard so she doesn’t get injured should a jug come crashing down."

From the series ‘Portraits Made in China’ 1997-99.

As posted by @otto_steinert , March 2019 by @michaelwolfarchive

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a year ago