La Grande Bouffe

Isabel Engelmann

In my photographic work, I search for the cracks in the polished image of the modern city. We all sense it: city centers are becoming unaffordable, and luxurious spaces are reserved for a small elite. With my series La Grande Bouffe, however, I did not want to produce a theoretical treatise, but rather to tell stories—moments of appropriation in which people reclaim the space – a space of belonging – that is actually denied to them.

My images function like a small dramaturgy, a triptych of contemporary existence. In The Bored Ladies, I stage a scene reminiscent of a classical vanitas still life. It is a moment of “co-presence in abundance” that nevertheless carries a strange emptiness: the protagonists are physically present, yet they appear like isolated consumers—together in one place, but not truly forming a community.

The gaze then shifts to Men’s Conversations – Les Connaisseurs. Here I focus on the retreat into the private sphere. One can almost sense the heavy bouquet of the wine: fullness, elegance, charm, deep purple with violet reflections, a dense palate and a sharp bouquet. In the midst of this decadent opulence, a woman sits on the table, her presence marked by a distinct eroticism—yet the men do not give her a single glance. They are so absorbed in their expert discussions that human proximity becomes secondary; it is the aesthetic retreat of the “happy few” into their own secluded world.

The series concludes with The Grand Dinner. For me, this marks the key moment of the work: the performative appropriation of space. When the original spaces of the city are no longer affordable, we begin to search for alternatives. My protagonists do not wait for permission; they bring their own banquet—food, champagne, wine, flowers, and candles—to transform the place into something beautiful on their own terms. Within this staging, a crucial shift takes place: away from the mere representation of space towards a living, functional place. An anonymous setting becomes an improvised site of encounter. Here, genuine interaction suddenly becomes possible again—beyond price tags and exclusivity. In La Grande Bouffe, I tell a story about how creativity and community allow us to reclaim our own identity within the urban space.

Note: The images in this essay are not covered by the journal’s Creative Commons license. The rights remain with the copyright holder.