Ulrike Ottinger
The Berlin Trilogy: Dorian Gray im Spiegel der Boulevardpresse (Dorian Gray in the Mirror of the Yellow Press) 

Ulrike Ottinger is considered one of the most important avant-garde contemporary filmmakers of her generation, having gained particular recognition for her cinematic work. Born in Konstanz in 1942, Ottinger can now look back on more than six decades of artistic work, which has not only taken her to many different places, but has also led her from the visual arts to filmmaking. In the process, she developed a non-linear, surreal, and sometimes bizarre film style.

Ottinger’s Berlin Trilogy was created between the late 1970s and early 1980s and will be shown on three consecutive evenings during this year’s Galerientage in Graz, also known as aktuelle kunst in graz. The trilogy comprises the films Bildnis einer Trinkerin (Ticket of No Return) (1979), Freak Orlando (1981), and Dorian Gray im Spiegel der Boulevardpresse (Dorian Gray in the Mirror of the Yellow Press) (1984), featuring performances across the three films from Tabea Blumenstein, Delphine Seyrig, Magdalena Montezuma, Veruschka von Lehndorff, Eddie Constantine, Nina Hagen, Orpha Termin, and Kurt Raab, with music by composer Peer Raben.

26.4.2026, 7 pm: Dorian Gray im Spiegel der Boulevardpresse (Dorian Gray in the Mirror of the Yellow Press), 1984 (150 min.)

Finally, with Dorian Gray im Spiegel der Boulevardpresse (Dorian Gray in the Mirror of the Yellow Press), Ottinger exposes the potential totalitarianism of the media, with Veruschka von Lehndorff and Delphine Seyrig in the leading roles. Dr. Mabuse is a powerful publisher who rules over a media conglomerate that dominates national public opinion. Out of her thirst for power she creates a being who is completely dependent on her: Dorian Gray. Androgynous, beautiful, young, and rich, Gray is a dazzling dandy, artfully created to feed the desires of the masses. Dr. Mabuse makes him an idol, only to then bring him down in a staged scandal. However, the creature slowly realizes his power and ultimately turns against his creator and the empire that once brought him to life.