City TV (Berlin) #118/16 Possibly 1997 - 2009

Frank Thiel made City TV (Berlin) #118/16 as a photograph, and well, that's a process in itself, isn't it? The way the city's captured, it's not just a snapshot; it's a deliberate act of framing, bending light, and deciding what to show us. The texture's smooth, almost sterile, because it is a photograph, but there's a depth that comes from the reflections within that lens or bubble. Look at how the light plays across the surface, how it distorts the buildings and the street into this contained world. It's a little like looking into a crystal ball, or maybe the eye of a surveillance camera. It makes you wonder about seeing and being seen, especially in a city like Berlin, which carries so much history. Thinking about Jeff Wall, another photographer who stages these cinematic moments, Thiel is doing something similar here, making us question what’s real, what’s constructed, and who’s watching.