Central Nervous System presents a new exploration into portraiture for Wolfgang Tillmans and focuses on a single subject throughout the show – Karl (or Karl Kolbitz to those who know him). This new collection of images has not been exhibited before, and is as much a portrait of an intimate relationship as it is a representation of Tillmans himself.

It has been almost twenty years since Tillmans’ first show at the gallery of Maureen Paley, his friend and gallerist since their first meeting in London, in 1990. Countless shows, a Turner prize and trustee of the Tate status later, Tillmans has chosen to exhibit his first single-subject show at the same gallery, underscoring the journey he has made as part of his Neue Welt project, which involves continuously extending his photographic study using advanced digital technology.

Known for his ability to transform otherwise overlooked beauty within the mundane, the artist presents his own personal viewpoint of a world we all recognise, yet rarely appreciate in such beautifully dramatic detail. These most recent works have an additional level of sharpness, a product of experimentation with new developments in inkjet printing, creating an almost hyper-real reality.

The huge digital prints present a world  both familiar and alien, provoking the age-old questions of portraiture: who exactly is Karl, what is his relationship to the photographer, how do we view these images and, in turn, what do they say about us?

Tillmans explains, “Making a portrait is a fundamental artistic act and the process of it is a very direct human exchange. The dynamics of vulnerability, exposure, embarrassment and honesty do not change, ever. I’ve found that portraiture is a good levelling instrument for me and it always sends me back to square one.”

Wolfgang Tillmans: Central Nervous System will be showing at the Maureen Paley Gallery
21 Herald Street, London, until 24 November 2013.