Curators in a World of Visual Self-expression

24.4 - 2.7.2015
Scandinavian embassies, Berlin

TOFT | HONERUD ´s work shown at the Nordic embassies are based on the artists’ on‐going examination of todays dissemination of private imagery through the media at first collecting imagery of natural disasters as delivered by private users to the public via specific news platforms. Taking imagery from the internet and physically presenting it in the exhibition space as blown‐up photographs and video footage, TOFT | HONERUD aim to examine the actual news content of the imagery and propose that mediated news imagery is increasingly emptied out of its content in order to convey presence and authenticity. CURATOR IN A VISUAL WORLD OF SELF‐EXPRESSION explores the constant stream of images as an archive; for this work the artists followed hashtags on Instagram related to the most powerful cartels that control the drug traffic in Mexico. While the drug‐traffickers are living a life in hiding, they do document and publish trophies from their lives. As the same time they develop their own visual language and aesthetics without markers to give away their location or identity. The coding and use of status markers for self‐presentation I well known to us, even if we see it from a hidden world of gilded weapons, drug deliveries and sexy women. The markers bear surprising parallels to other image archives, such as those in housewife-bloggers, whom define themselves through such as children, interior or organic food.


narcovida - at Høstutstillingen 2015

In narcovida, TOFT HONERUD follow hashtags on Instagram related to the most powerful cartels that control the drug traffic in Mexico. While these drug-traffickers live a life in hiding, they document and publish trophies of their experiences. These images give credibility to the criminals, insinuating or even proving their crimes, but they develop their own visual language and aesthetics without markers that would give away their location or identity. The coding and use of status markers for self-presentation – in this case images of gilded weapons, drug deliveries and sexy ladies – is well known to us, since in essence these are the same kinds of trophies used in regular blogs, such as mothers posting pictures of children, interior design or organic food.