„Autoportraits“ is first of all a body of work consisting of 37 pictures, which show people standing in front of their cars. This simple concept of combining persons, objects and places in order to create a potential message regarding an individual human being, is surprisingly deepened by photographer Torsten Hattenkerl and his subtle use of multilayered poses and precise composition. These pictures have nothing in common with the typical image of a „hot rod“. Rather than reproducing clichés, photographs and the accompanying text by Dr. Dr. Stefan Nagel (Psychoanalyst, Düsseldorf) discuss the difficulties of a „design for live“and the complex relationships between model, author and audience.

Torsten Hattenkerl, *1963, lives and works in Kempen am Niederrhein and Zürich.