25/04/2018
New text about The HHT Homeless Art Project by Art Historian Jonas Bergstrom: “Art that repels us or makes us think again”
The eyes are directed insistently, confidently, almost demonically at me. The hair is set up in a large bun, but with tufts of hair on both sides of the head, looking almost like electrically charged nerve fibers.
The facial expression is controlled and calm, as if homeless person is the one with the power. I look at him and he looks back at me.
The shiny surface of the precious gold material idealizes the homeless person, and at the same time, it reflects my image. I am confronted with the homeless person while I am looking at myself.
The aesthetics of the image makes one think of a mug shot, and across the chest, where a criminal usually holds up a sign, it says Hornsleth. But who is the criminal or the villain?
The HHT project serves as a confrontation with a number of issues in society related to homelessness. Besides the picture of the homeless person, the art collector has acquired the right to monitor the homeless 24-7.
Hornsleth earns money on the project, and so does the homeless person. The project has alarmed many people. I would argue that the powerful reactions are due to Hornsleth appearing as both a villain and a helper at the same time. In other words, it is the ambiguity that instigates the provocation. In which way should we describe the type of provocative art that Hornsleth practices?
The abject is a term put forth by the French philosopher Julia Kristeva is a term that can send us on the right track. In her work "Pouvoir de l'Horreur"(1980), she defines the abject as that, which disrupts and challenges identity, systems, order and boundaries.
The abject has received its name because it challenges the distinction between object and subject. It is neither object nor subject. It is both. In the confrontation with the abject, the subject is provoked and threatened. Therefore the subject is forced to expell the abject, transforming it into an object.
An example of this process is the scapegoat, which, in the first place, is neither outside nor a part of the group. The exclusion is necessary to maintain the identity of the group and sense of community within the group.�In Hornsleth’s art, the abject is often present.
This applies to the image of the homeless. He is degraded and exalted at the same time, and therefore the image challenges categories of social status. To some extent, the homeless represent the abject.
They are neither inside nor outside society, and therefore they challenge our system. Why can’t we help them? Another aspect of HHT is that, on one hand, we are dealing with a kind of human trafficking. On the other hand, the homeless have voluntarily entered an agreement that improves their economic situation and their status.
This ambiguity awakens the abject and challenges our moral, because it is not entirely good or evil. The abject can also be linked to the artist himself. On the one hand, he uses the homeless to promote the project and, on the other hand, he helps them.
Is Hornsleth an amoral opportunist or a constructive activist? He exceeds current narrow-minded categories. In this provocative type of art, the individual and society are forced to confront themselves. The exclusion of the abject can take place by ignoring parts of the complexity and perhaps coming to a prejudicial conclusion, that it is too much, and that Hornsleth is an evil man.
Maybe because the abject nature of this type of art is challenging our stereotypical way of thinking. This abject space is full of possibilities and is a space where the boundaries are yet to be set. Identity and boundaries can be renegotiated and reconsidered.
What is interesting and different about Hornsleth's art is that it does not get caught in the stereotypical categories. Instead, one is forced to reflect on and deal with the problems of society.
You are invited to reflect on the question: Could we do something differently? Through Horsleth's art, you are presented with the abject and the opportunity to walk along new paths and to think again.
