As a teenager, fine art photographer Wolfgang Tillmans was a keen amateur astronomer and his work frequently reflects this interest with the inclusion of various astronomical subjects and themes. Tillmans’ artistic approach to astronomy, foregrounding the abstract and aesthetic appeal of the images themselves while exploring and questioning the photographic techniques by which they are produced, speaks directly to the long tradition of astrophotography as practiced in Greenwich from the 1870s onwards. Prominent Royal Observatory astronomers like Walter and Annie Maunder were pioneers in the field but also commented publicly on the problems and pitfalls of photographing the heavens. Tillmans’ astronomical artworks show how this debate continues to be relevant in the 21st century.

The ESO series explores the work of the European Southern Observatory’s telescopes at Cerro Paranal in Chile - a 21st century equivalent of Greenwich in the 19th and early 20th centuries. By showing what is at the edge of visibility, and turning fleeting data as seen on computer screens into physical objects, these works address the techniques and technological limitations of astrophotography.