The exhibition consists of a series of two- and three-dimensional works that imitate objects associated with the desire for status. The works are handmade copies of industrially produced goods, but in contrast to the mass-produced originals, the reproductions are unique versions mainly of cardboard, pigment, plaster and paper. The cheap and simple materials contrast with the exclusive originals, and are an attempt at a reproduction of the mechanical standard, always without a completely perfect result. They appear as fragile and vulnerable substitutes for the starting points.
The copied objects are identity-building markers with general recognition, which signal a combination of prosperity and aesthetic formation. With the mimed approach, the objects assume a substitute function where they are confused with the concrete reality. The objects fulfill a function as substitutes for reality and in perception the distinction between original and copy, reality and image is abolished.
Åsil Bøthun (b. 1971) has a master's degree from the Department of Color at the Oslo Academy of the Arts. She has participated in a number of group exhibitions at home and abroad, and has had solo exhibitions at e.g. Bomuldsfabrikken kunsthall, Nordnorsk kunstnersenter, Kunstnerforbundet and Akershus kunstnersenter.
