How absurdity can reveal the essence: Juergen Teller's photography

In 1991, the photographer Juergen Teller followed a then-unknown US band on its concert tour through Germany. They were called Nirvana. Along with the breakthrough of the legendary grunge band came a great deal of recognition for Juergen Teller's work. Now, 25 years later, the man born in 1964 in a village in the South of Germany is a world-famous photographer based in London.

Juergen Teller is renowned for creating intimate settings for his work. For his fashion photography, he often prefers to show a bare supermodel than to focus on the glamour of the clothes and couture. In this campaign for designer Marc Jacobs, he even renounced most of Victoria Beckham's famous features, hiding her in a bag and letting her legs reproduce an M.

In 2015, Juergen Teller went out on a surreal photo shoot with reality TV star Kim Kardashian and her husband, rapper Kanye West. Although they met on the grounds of a French chateau, the photographer nevertheless preferred to get Kim semi-naked on a pile of rubble. He also included himself (right) in the odd series of photos. They were released as a photo book entitled "Kanye, Juergen & Kim."

Many wonder why the power couple of pop culture would accept being represented in such a way. Teller believes his honesty towards his models allows him to try out wild experiments. Some photos in his new series are intriguingly absurd, commenting on the cult of stardom in fashion and entertainment, which perhaps can be just as surreal.

Teller is known for putting stars in unflattering poses and juxtaposing worlds. On show in Erlangen is this photograph of British actress Charlotte Rampling ("Swimming Pool") sharing a plate with a fox on the patio.

Teller recently completed a new series, "Plates-Teller," which plays on his last name: Teller is the German word for plate. Musicians and models hold a plate, which symbolically replaces the photographer, who often includes himself in his concepts.

In the series, Juergen Teller presents himself and his life on a plate. The exhibition in Erlangen, however, rather focuses on his roots in the neighboring Bavarian towns of Bubenreuth and Erlangen and on photographs of his family members. This bean and meat stew was photographed in Teller's birth town of Bubenreuth.

In recent years, Juergen Teller's mother Irene became on of his favorite muses. She has been pictrued on stage with a Japanese metal band and wearing the styles of Teller's fashion partners. Here, she is pictured in his home town, Bubenreuth, in Bavaria.

Soccer stars Pep Guardiola and Philipp Lahm also modeled for Juergen Teller. In 2014, the photographer prepared a book paying tribute to the football World Cup. During the 2016 Euro Cup, Teller worked on a new photo project with French footballer Paul Pogba. The photograhper has been a football enthusiast and player since his childhood.

Commissioned by Giorgio Armani to photograph first division German soccer team FC Bayern, Teller brought his 12-year-old son Ed along. Since Ed is also wearing an Armani suit, he's hard to spot in this photo featured at the Kunstpalais in Erlangen. The exhibition there runs through April 23, 2017.