Etranges Exhibitions 2002 Benjamin Beaulieu Jun 2026

Determined to catch her in the act, Rachel enlists the help of an ally named Angela. Together, they shadow Carole to a highly secretive, off-hours assembly. Expecting to uncover a corporate espionage ring, Rachel and Angela are instead shocked to find Carole attending a harmless, underground voyeur party. This discovery shifts the film's focus from standard corporate betrayal into an exploration of alternative relationships and private boundaries. Cast and Characters

At the time, Étranges Exhibitions was shown at small media arts festivals (EMAFF in Barcelona, FILE São Paulo) and on a now-defunct web portal called Artefact 2002 . Critics were divided: some called it “pretentious net-art navel-gazing,” while others hailed it as a precursor to the post-internet uncanny later seen in artists like Jon Rafman or Petra Cortright.

The second half transitions sharply into an exploration of hidden lives and personal identity. By contrasting the cold, suspicious corporate world with the open, judgment-free space of the voyeur party, Beaulieu and Lévy critique how modern workers are surveilled—not just by companies, but by each other. Distribution and Historical Context etranges exhibitions 2002 benjamin beaulieu

— The art world of the early aughts was obsessed with the digital y2k transition, glossy photorealism, and the nihilism of post-postmodernism. Yet, tucked away in a former glove factory in the 11th arrondissement, a quiet Canadian ex-pat named Benjamin Beaulieu staged what might be the most unsettling—and most forgotten—show of the year: Étranges Exhibitions .

The work is structured as a faux museum tour. The user navigates through a series of dimly lit, low-poly 3D rooms. Each “gallery” contains a single objet étrange —a hybrid creature or object assembled from Victorian medical illustrations, early webcam stills, stock photography, and scanned textures from 1970s educational films. Determined to catch her in the act, Rachel

The "exhibition" was the experience of vertigo, reflected infinity, and dread.

A birdcage hanging from the ceiling, empty except for a single barber’s mirror at its center. A small motor rotated the cage once per minute. In the catalogue, Beaulieu wrote: "This is not a self-portrait. This is a prediction of how you will look at funerals." This discovery shifts the film's focus from standard

Director Benjamin Beaulieu utilizes a visual style defined by contrasting atmospheres. The early acts of the film emphasize sterile, cold corporate environments to highlight Rachel's isolation and anxiety. Once the investigation transitions to the secret party, the cinematography shifts toward warm, low-light shadows and intimate camera framing to mirror the taboo nature of the subculture. Cultural Legacy

The film features prominent figures from the golden era of French late-night television and adult cinema.

The film relies on a small ensemble cast to maintain its intimate, tense atmosphere:

"I walked in at 3 PM. I walked out at 7 PM. I do not remember seeing any art. I remember smelling burnt sugar and hearing a child’s cough from behind a wall. There was no child. There was no wall. I think I loved it."