Cortis and Sonderegger

Artist duo Cortis and Sonderegger are based in Switzerland and started their project, Iconen, in 2012 as an—at first—humorous side project from their editorial and commercial photography. Working in their studio, the artists create painstakingly accurate miniature versions of some of the most widely published and iconic photographs in the world. Using regular household materials—such as cotton swabs, toothpicks, and paper scraps—the artists often take several weeks to craft and compose their sets, even replicating the same lighting and vantage points. Yet, the artists intentionally give away the staging of the photographs by including views of their studio, tools, lamps, and props within the frame. The project deconstructs the iconic status of certain images while also considering the truth of the photograph in an era of “fake news.” Cortis and Sonderegger have been included in exhibitions around the world, including at the Daegu Photo Biennale, Korea, (2018), Lianzhou Foto 17, China (2017), and the Paris Photo Art Fair, France (2014), among many others.