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| Sarah Jabbari (Iran) is a visual anthropologist and photographer. She holds a PhD. in the history of photography. Her book “”Early Perso-Parsi Visual Encounter: A Dialogue with India” will be published in 2025. |
Theme: (Re) shaping Identity:
Resistance, Conformity and Representation
Photographs by Michael Michlmayr
(note: images maybe enlarged with a right-click)
Introduction (Theme)
Identity is not a fixed concept—it is constantly shaped, challenged, and reshaped by cultural, political, and societal forces. Under the theme “(Re)shaping Identity: Resistance, Conformity, and Representation,” this series of three essays examines how identity is constructed, performed, and negotiated in contemporary society. Each essay focuses on the work of a different photographer, exploring unique perspectives on identity formation, from the homogenization of selfhood under consumer culture to acts of cultural resistance and reclamation.
Harald Woschitz critiques the mass production of identity in consumer-driven societies, using mannequins as symbols of power, conformity, and representation. Michael Michlmayr takes this a step further, replacing human faces with mannequin portraits in public spaces, challenging how visual culture dictates self-perception. Finally, Sarah Jabbari’s work shifts the focus from consumerism to political and cultural resistance, capturing how Iranians reclaim their pre-Islamic identity in defiance of imposed narratives. Together, these three essays explore the tension between individuality and societal pressures, questioning how identity is shaped—whether by external forces or through acts of defiance and self-reclamation.
 © Michael Michlmayr |
 © Michael Michlmayr |
The photographs of Michael Michlmayr:
Faceless Representation in Public Scenes
Essay #2
Michael Michlmayr’s photographic series Public Scenes offers a unique lens to examine themes of identity, consumption, and representation. By replacing human faces with mannequin portraits in street photography, Michlmayr blurs the boundaries between reality and fiction, inviting viewers to question the constructs that define individual and collective experiences. His photographs serve as a mirror, prompting reflection on the roles individuals play and the realities they construct in their pursuit of meaning and belonging. In this way, Public Scenes aligns with broader discussions in visual culture, where identity is not merely recorded but actively shaped through visual representation (Berger, 1972).
© Michael Michlmayr
The Public Scenes captures the paradoxical relationship between individuality and conformity, reflecting how identity is both self-determined and socially constructed. The mannequins in his photographs serve as symbols of aspiration, underscoring how individuals often sacrifice authenticity to fit into predefined societal norms. Drawing from Goffman’s (1959) concept of the “staged self,” these faceless figures embody the performance of identity, where self-hood is curated to align with external expectations. The blank stares of the mannequins reinforce this tension between uniqueness and homogenization, inviting viewers to reflect on how external forces shape their self-perception.
Michlmayr’s substitution of human faces with mannequin features disrupts the recognition of the body as a vessel of individuality. Instead, the mannequins serve as abstracted forms, challenging the viewer to reconsider the embodied dimensions of identity in a world increasingly mediated by visual culture. This approach recalls Sontag’s (1977) argument that photography not only records reality but also transforms it, altering perceptions of authenticity. The mannequins in Public Scenes, much like street photography as a genre, reveal the ways in which the gaze and constructed imagery dictate social behavior (Street Photography: The Discourse, 2025).
© Michael Michlmayr
Mannequins, as portrayed by Michlmayr, embody the commodification of human identity and desire. They are not merely props but symbols of how society consumes ways of seeing. John Berger’s Ways of Seeing (1972) provides a foundational framework for understanding how visual culture shapes perceptions of reality. The mannequins in Michlmayr’s photographs reveal the constructed nature of visual consumption, where the gaze transforms these inanimate objects into aspirational ideals. By situating these figures within public spaces, Public Scenes challenges the viewer to interrogate the authenticity of their desires and the role of visual media in constructing these aspirations.
Beyond identity, mannequins also serve as symbols of power dynamics and societal control. Their faceless and genderless appearance reflects what Foucault (1975) describes as the “pyramid of power,” where societal ideals subtly dictate the parameters of beauty and identity, enforcing conformity without explicit coercion. This internalized discipline aligns with Foucault’s notion of surveillance and control, where individuals regulate their own behaviors to adhere to external standards (Discipline and Punish, 1975).
© Michael Michlmayr
Michlmayr’s approach to representation further highlights the interplay between identity and visual consumption. As street photography inherently involves a negotiation of space and the politics of visibility (Street Photography: The Discourse, 2025), Public Scenes challenges the very act of looking. The mannequins function as silent dictators of aesthetic norms, emphasizing how constructed images dictate social behavior. The faceless forms, both unsettling and familiar, push the viewer to recognize their complicity in sustaining these visual standards.
© Michael Michlmayr
The photographs engage with themes of construction and deconstruction, revealing the fluid nature of identity and representation. By replacing human faces with mannequin portraits, he deconstructs the boundaries between the real and the staged, prompting viewers to question the authenticity of their perceptions. This aligns with Lasch’s (1979) critique of a narcissistic society, where the hollowing out of individuality is masked by an obsession with self-image. The faceless mannequins, much like the self-curated identities in contemporary digital culture, reflect the growing pressure to conform to homogenized ideals while simultaneously highlighting the anxiety of self-representation (The Culture of Narcissism, 1979).
© Michael Michlmayr
Moreover, Michlmayr’s work prompts viewers to consider the psychological toll of such a culture. The repetitive and faceless nature of the mannequins mirrors the depersonalization inherent in a society fixated on appearances. Lasch’s analysis of diminishing expectations aligns with this depiction, suggesting that the obsession with self-image ultimately leads to a sense of emptiness and alienation. Through his art, Michlmayr critiques not only the societal structures that perpetuate this culture but also the individual’s role in sustaining it, urging a reevaluation of how identity is both consumed and constructed.
Ultimately, Public Scenes exposes the unsettling reality of identity’s commodification and the pervasive influence of visual culture in shaping self-perception. By stripping individuality from his subjects, Michlmayr makes viewers to confront their own complicity in perpetuating these societal norms. His faceless mannequins serve as both critique and reflection, challenging the audience to reconsider the constructed nature of identity in an era where appearances dictate worth. In doing so, Public Scenes becomes more than an artistic exploration—it is a call to question the forces that shape who we are and how we see ourselves.
 © Michael Michlmayr |
References
- Berger, J. (1972). Ways of Seeing. BBC and Penguin.
- Foucault, M. (1975). Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Pantheon Books.
- Goffman, E. (1959). The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Anchor Books.
- Lasch, C. (1979). The Culture of Narcissism: American Life in an Age of Diminishing Expectations. Norton.
- Sontag, S. (1977). On Photography. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
- Street Photography: The Discourse. (2025). Journal on Images and Culture.