
'REFRACTION' EXHIBITION MALTA 2021. Installation shot by Audrey Rose Mizzi.
ABOUT
Dirk H. Wilms (born 1966) is a German photographer and visual artist whose work consists primarily of conceptual staged self-portraits. Sexuality, death and identity are recurring themes throughout his work.
Never willing to compromise his artistic vision, Wilms uses photography to record and elaborate auto-biographical stories and personal life events, focusing on his own body as an expressive vehicle. Despite his introverted nature, he often depicts himself as a nude figure in his compositions, seeking to recast the male nude as something insecure and vulnerable, rather than as a figure of strength. The result is a unique body of work in which contemporary photography, poetic approach and humour blend seamlessly.
“To me photography means to breathe life and to express myself. It helps me to make my fears, my depressions and my nightmares visible to those who care to see,” he said. “The positive reactions have shown me that other people can also find themselves in my work. It isn't my wish to represent only myself.”
His work has been featured in art, culture, and gay magazines internationally and can be found in a variety of collections.
“Dirk H. Wilms defines himself as an introvert, suffering from social anxiety. His photographs are self-portraits that could be regarded as cathartic and redeeming. He tells his life story through these documents as different life chapters that will act as his autobiography. His use of props evokes the work of American artist Cindy Sherman, an artist who also relies on self-portraiture to tell stories of self-transformation and loss of identity while she explores human diversity, sexuality and stereotypes.” — Times, Malta
EXHIBITION

INTERVIEWS & TEXTS
THE AIDS MEMORIAL
STUART ARMSTRONG IN CONVERSATION WITH DIRK H. WILMS
English
QUEER NB
MARCEL SPITTEL SPÄTER ERKANNTE ICH ...
Deutsch
MÄNNER MAGAZIN
DENNIS STEPHAN EINE FORM DER ABWESENHEIT
Deutsch
GAY CH MAGAZINE
LUIS PESTANA INTERVIEW WITH DIRK H. WILMS
Deutsch
SALVE TV
EINE ART VON ABWESENHEIT / VIDEO
Deutsch, English
HIV PLUS MAGAZINE
JACOB ANDERSON-MINSHALL SEE YOU SEE ME
English
QUEER.DE
REDAKTION QUEER EINE ART DER ABWESENHEIT
Deutsch
M+ MAGAZIN
CARSTEN BAUHAUS WIE STILLE SCHREIE
Deutsch
KALTBLUT MAGAZINE
AMANDA M JANSSON THE ART OF DIRK H. WILMS
English
SLAVE MAGAZINE
ANIA MROCZKOWSKA & LOUISE MUNRO DIRK H. WILMS - A KIND OF ABSENCE
English
MEIN SCHWULES AUGE
DIRK H. WILMS ICH TRAGE AIDS IN MEINEM GESICHT
Deutsch
MASCULAR MAGAZINE
VINCENT KEITH PORTFOLIO A KIND OF ABSENCE
English
SELECTED PRESS & PUBLICATIONS

IL CORPO SOLITARIO VOL. III, ITALY, 2022
TIMES, MALTA, 2021
JAAMZIN, SINGAPORE, 2019
MASCULAR MAGAZINE, UNITED KINGDOM, 2018
ZINE MAGAZINE, JAPAN, 2017
MÄNNER MAGAZINE, GERMANY, 2016
MEIN SCHWULES AUGE 13, GERMANY, 2016
NOISY RAIN WINTER EDITION, JAPAN, 2016
HOMOSURREALISM, UNITED KINGDOM, 2016
FACELESS, FRANCE, 2016
SALVE TELEVISION, GERMANY, 2015
OTZ JOURNAL, GERMANY, 2015
THÜRINGISCHE LANDESZEITUNG, GERMANY, 2015
QUEER, GERMANY, 2015
GAY CH MAGAZINE, SWITZERLAND, 2015
ARTCURE MAGAZINE, GREECE, 2015
BLITZ MAGAZINE, GERMANY, 2015
CHUECA MAGAZINE, SPAIN, 2015
HIV PLUS MAGAZINE, USA, 2015
THE PINK SNOUT, ITALY, 2015
RADIANT PRESENCE, USA, 2015
OBSCURE, UNITED KINGDOM, 2015
RADIANT PRESENCE, USA, 2015
MEIN SCHWULES AUGE 11, GERMANY, 2014
MEN ADDICTED, FRANCE, 2014
GENTE RARA, VENEZUELA, 2014
LAZAGNE ART MAGAZINE, ITALY, 2014
SRDREGE MEN, TURKEY, 2014
ET ALORS?, NETHERLANDS, 2014
TRIBE MAGAZINE, UNITED KINGDOM, 2014
M+ MAGAZINE, GERMANY, 2014
KALTBLUT MAGAZINE, GERMANY, 2014
NOISY RAIN MAGAZINE, JAPAN, 2014
THE UNTOLD, UNITED KINGDOM, 2014
SLAVE MAGAZINE, UNITED KINGDOM, 2014
ULISEX! MAGAZINE, MEXICO, 2013
EDGE MAGAZINE, USA, 2013
MASCULAR MAGAZINE, UNITED KINGDOM, 2013
GET INSPIRED MAGAZINE, GERMANY, 2013