Magnum photographer Alex Majoli’s new book captures the theatre of life

In a departure from the photojournalistic desire to capture unadulterated reality (an arguably impossible task), Magnum photographer Alex Majoli has leaned into the theatre of life for Scene, his new book published by Mack. Scenes of political protest and humanitarian crisis across the globe, alongside quiet everyday moments, show individuals playing their role, acting their part given to them through history and circumstance. In this strange climate of conflicting truths, events in Europe, Asia, South America and Africa are depicted with tenebrious light that suggests the line between theatre and reality is finer than we might like to think.
This understanding of theatre is central to Maloji’s process: each image he creates begins with him and his assistants arranging lights as if they’re building a set. There’s a pause of a minute or perhaps hours or more, a waiting of the show to start, then with no direction given to those in frame he begins to shoot. David Campany explains in the accompanying essay in the book: ‘If the world is expecting to be photographed, it exists in a perpetual state of potential theatre.’ Whether it is on CCTV, a smartphone camera, or with Majoli’s flash.
RELATED STORY
However, we must not assume that this theatrical approach, with its intervention of flashes far brighter than daylight, detaches Scene from reality. Instead it raises important questions regarding the tensions between art and documentary. Does throwing a sunlit scene into apparent moonlight with a flash remove its authenticity? Perhaps approved photographic acts of framing and timing are just as significant influencers of representation. Does the act of a team setting up lights influence the actions of those within the scene? Perhaps not when we understand our whole lives are lived as performance, when there is a potential to be recorded at any moment.
Photographs from Scene will go on show in a corresponding solo exhibition at Le Bal in Paris, opening to the public on 22 February.
Republic of Congo, 2013. Pointe Noire, Funeral of a 13-year-old girl, by Alex Majoli. Courtesy of the artist and MACK
England, London, 2016. The Morning after the Brexit vote, Jamaica Winehouse, City of London, by Alex Majoli. Courtesy of the artist and MACK
Brazil, São Paolo, 2014. Igreja Internacional de Graça de Deus mass inside a repurposed cinema, by Alex Majoli. Courtesy of the artist and MACK
Brazil, Santos, 2014. Gathering outside a municipal theatre where President Dilma Rousseff was presenting a development plan for the north-east of the city, by Alex Majoli. Courtesy of the artist and MACK
INFORMATION
Scene, £30, published by MACK. The exhibition ‘Alex Majoli: Scene’ is on view from 22 February – 28 April at Le Bal, Paris. For more information visit the gallery website and the Magnum Photos website
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
As Photography Editor at Wallpaper*, Sophie Gladstone commissions across fashion, interiors, architecture, travel, art, entertaining, beauty & grooming, watches & jewellery, transport and technology. Gladstone also writes about and researches contemporary photography. Alongside her creative commissioning process, she continues her art practice as a photographer, for which she was recently nominated for the Foam Paul Huf Award. And in recognition of her work to date, listed by the British Journal of Photography as ‘One to Watch’.
-
Rediscover a classic midcentury hotel in Sydney
Fender Katsalidis leads a major renovation of the landmark Sofitel Sydney Wentworth hotel, pairing 1960s modernism with an elevated, Australian-minded reset
-
Haute Couture Week A/W 2025: what to expect
Five moments to look out for at Haute Couture Week A/W 2025 in Paris (starting Monday 7 July), from Glenn Martens’ debut for Maison Margiela to Demna’s Balenciaga swansong. Plus, ‘new beginnings’ from JW Anderson
-
Inside Frank Lloyd Wright’s Laurent House – a project built with accessibility at its heart
The dwelling, which you can visit in Illinois, is a classic example of Wright’s Usonian architecture, and was also built for a client with a disability long before accessibility was widely considered
-
We are all fetishists, says Anastasia Fedorova in her new book, which takes a deep dive into kink
In ‘Second Skin’, writer and curator Fedorova takes a tour through the materials, objects and power dynamics we have fetishised
-
The gayest love story ever told: Jeremy Atherton Lin's memoir is a tribute to home
In 'Deep House: The Gayest Love Story Ever Told', Jeremy Atherton Lin mixes memoir with a historical deep-dive into marriage equlaity
-
The glory years of the Cannes Film Festival are captured in a new photo book
‘Cannes’ by Derek Ridgers looks back on the photographer's time at the Cannes Film Festival between 1984 and 1996
-
Taschen’s sexy record covers are hitting all the right notes
Taschen has been through 50 years of album art for its latest tome, ‘Sexy Record Covers’
-
‘Dressed to Impress’ captures the vivid world of everyday fashion in the 1950s and 1960s
A new photography book from The Anonymous Project showcases its subjects when they’re dressed for best, posing for events and celebrations unknown
-
Daniel Arsham’s new monograph collates the works of the auto-obsessed American artist
‘Arsham Motorsport’ is two volumes of inspiration, process and work, charting artist Daniel Arsham’s oeuvre inspired by the icons and forms of the automotive industry
-
Era-defining photographer David Bailey guides us through the 1980s in a new tome not short of shoulder pads and lycra
From Yves Saint Laurent to Princess Diana, London photographer David Bailey dives into his 1980s archive in a new book by Taschen
-
Inside Joan Didion’s unseen diary of personal relationships and post-therapy notes
A newly discovered diary by Joan Didion is soon to be published. Titled 'Notes to John', the journal documents her relationship with her daughter, husband, alcoholism, and depression