An illumination apparatus , in particular for a motor vehicle, comprising: at least one laser light source for producing excitation light; at least one wavelength conversion element , which is configured to receive excitation light from the at least one laser light source in the form of an excitation-light light bundle; at least one optical imaging element (30a, 30b, 30c; 31; 32), which images light, which is emitted in the visible wavelength range by the wavelength conversion element , in the form of at least one light distribution or one partial light distribution (LVa, LVb, LVc, LVd, LVe), and at least one beam-deflecting device in the beam path between the at least one laser light source and the at least one wavelength conversion element , characterised in that the at least one beam-deflecting device is designed as an acousto-optic modulator , which comprises a solid medium , which is optically transparent at least to excitation light of the at least one laser light source and through which the excitation-light light bundle is passed, and wherein sound waves having a frequency or a plurality of, in particular, different frequencies can be produced in the solid medium of the acousto-optic modulator - for example by means of a control device , which controls the at least one acousto-optic modulator preferably in accordance with specified or specifiable control parameters -, such that the excitation-light light bundle is deflected to different regions (20a, 20b, 20c; 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e) of a conversion element and/or to different conversion elements in accordance with the frequency of the applied sound waves, wherein the frequencies of the sound waves lie in a range from 80 to 2500 MHz. at least one laser light source for producing excitation light; at least one wavelength conversion element , which is configured to receive excitation light from the at least one laser light source in the form of an excitation-light light bundle; at least one optical imaging element (30a, 30b, 30c; 31; 32), which images light, which is emitted in the visible wavelength range by the wavelength conversion element , in the form of at least one light distribution or one partial light distribution (LVa, LVb, LVc, LVd, LVe), and at least one beam-deflecting device in the beam path between the at least one laser light source and the at least one wavelength conversion element , characterised in that the at least one beam-deflecting device is designed as an acousto-optic modulator , which comprises a solid medium , which is optically transparent at least to excitation light of the at least one laser light source and through which the excitation-light light bundle is passed, and wherein sound waves having a frequency or a plurality of, in particular, different frequencies can be produced in the solid medium of the acousto-optic modulator - for example by means of a control device , which controls the at least one acousto-optic modulator preferably in accordance with specified or specifiable control parameters -, such that the excitation-light light bundle is deflected to different regions (20a, 20b, 20c; 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e) of a conversion element and/or to different conversion elements in accordance with the frequency of the applied sound waves, wherein the frequencies of the sound waves lie in a range from 80 to 2500 MHz. <EOS>