Frieke Janssens received this shoot request while she was visiting the ‘Histoire de ne pas rire’ exhibition at Bozar. Art director Jan Biemans from Volkskrant Magazine asked her to photograph stand-up comedian and cabaret artist Jan Jaap van der Wal on the occasion of his new show about the Belgian elections, and because he is also settling in Belgium permanently.

Frieke couldn’t resist using Belgian surrealism as an inspiration. The cover was inspired by a 1973 work by Magritte, ‘L’avenir des statues’.