At Theresienstrasse 48, one of Munich’s artistic arteries, an exhibition is underway that delves into the silent yet sharp manipulative power of photography. Joëlle Van Autreve’s work, titled “Les Miroirs,” opened its doors on April 21; we are currently in the exhibition’s most mature phase, when discussions are at their peak. Presented by Max Borka, this selection treats the photographic frame not merely as a tool for freezing a moment, but as a mechanism of power and direction.
The Five Stages of Manipulation
In this project, through instructions given to her actors, Van Autreve divides the “mechanism of manipulation”—which she argues is inherent in the nature of photography—into five consecutive stages. These stages symbolize the uncanny bond between the photographer and the subject:
- Seduction: The initial promise of the image; that false shimmer that draws the viewer and the subject in.
- Surprise: A moment of unexpected intervention or awareness.
- Sadness: That melancholic collapse where the weight of reality or loss is felt.
- Paranoia: The climax of the fear of being watched and directed.
- Revolt: A rebellion against the entire process, the desire to step outside the frame.
The Infernal Machine: A Vicious Cycle
According to the artist, these stages form a vicious cycle. At the end of the revolt, the subject inevitably returns to the stage of “seduction” and the false hope of the beginning. Van Autreve likens this structure to Jean Cocteau’s La Machine Infernale. Just like in Cocteau’s tragedy machine, the mechanism here functions perfectly; the moment the victim believes they have escaped is, in fact, the moment the gears begin to turn anew.
Photography here serves as a “mirror”; however, this mirror is not one that merely reflects, but a surface that reconstructs and manipulates what it reflects.
- Venue: Theresienstrasse 48, Munich
- Presentation: Max Borka
- Dates: Running until May 9, 2026
