Ikons

Cortis & Sonderegger

East Wing
14 April – 22 May 2016

In 2012, Swiss based artists Jojakim Cortis and Adrian Sonderegger presented themselves with a challenge; to recreate some of the world’s most iconic images in their studio. The duo used optical tricks to reproduce what seemed impossible to duplicate – a series of iconic moments that changed world perspective – events which often resulted in creative or political rebellion.  What began as a joke between the two artists, has now developed into a compelling, ongoing series involving both in-depth research and a sense of play in the manufacture and re-staging in miniature of these pivotal events in time.

Carefully considering the conditions in which each original image was made, the artists meticulously mimicked these same methods in their studio; using scale models and paying close attention to the lighting and vantage point of the camera in an attempt to literally ‘re-make’ these events, ranging from the crash of the Hindenburg and the supersonic passenger jet Concorde, to the last photographic of the Titanic. They also expanded their challenge to include important moments in the history of photography, remaking images by Ansel Adams and Andreas Gursky.

In their final compositions, the artists pull the camera back to reveal their studio and working methods exposing the backstage, the ‘making of’ aspect of their craft. By including the debris of their constructions (paint, glue, cotton wool, etc.) the artists present an image within an image – leaving the viewer unbalanced between the remake of the past and the artist’s studio environment of the present.

Jojakim Cortis (b. 1978) & Adrian Sonderegger (b.1980) have lived and worked in Zurich, Switzerland since 2001. They began collaborating during their studies at Zurich University of the Arts in 2005.