Two people stand facing each other in a plain photo booth. The curtain is closed, so only their legs are visible. A white undershirt lies on the floor, suggesting a secret love encounter. Their casual clothing style hints that they are teenagers, while their gender remains undefined.
Photo Booth (2004) belongs to the installation works of the Scandinavian artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset. With a pared-down, almost minimalist aesthetic, the artists recreate everyday situations in stage-like sets, which they subtly distort with humor and transform into striking scenes.
In Photo Booth, the booth evokes a voyeuristic curiosity that ultimately goes unfulfilled. One is tempted to lift the curtain and catch a glimpse of the adolescents in their secret act. Yet at the same moment, it becomes clear that this is only a convincingly staged scenario.
Elmgreen & Dragset deliberately play with the boundaries between intimacy and public space, as well as between art and reality. Their practice is designed to challenge perception and provoke a sense of disorientation.