Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset have been working together since 1995, developing works that address questions of identity and belonging and which investigate the social, cultural and political structures that frame their artistic production. In particular, they are interested in the recontextualisation of objects and practices, and in exploring the narratives that emerge when conventional modes of representing art are altered, in an ongoing investigation into the conventions of the institutional art system and the role of its various agents: artists, galleries, museums, spectators.

In 2015, the artist duo developed the - Self-portraits
series, including - Self_Portrait, No. 20
, in which the tables (captions) that usually accompany works of art in an exhibition context are represented on an enlarged scale. The tables are not an integral part of the work of art; they only have an informative function and, apart from the facts they communicate, have no particular value as an object. Unlike the originals, which are usually printed on disposable supports, on a scale that should be legible without causing any visual impact, Elmgreen & Dragset's tables have a large format and are executed in some of the materials and techniques recognised as “noble” in the history of art, such as marble, oil or acrylic paint on canvas or sheet metal, or charcoal on paper. By subverting the role of these apparently insignificant elements, the duo transform them into works of art in their own right, in a reflection on the extent to which the identity of the artist or the recognition of the work of art is constructed from these external markers.

The re-signifying character of these works is also emphasised by the title of the series, - Self-portrait
, which signals the personal layer that every other work by another artist represents for Elmgreen & Dragset, as a duo or individually. The set references artists such as David Hockney, Ross Bleckner, Roni Horn, Martin Kippenberger, Nicole Eisenman, David Wozjnarovicz, among others, who refer to a specific experience or emotional development in Elmgreen & Dragset's journeys. The duo thus propose a different form of self-portrait, more poetic and perhaps closer to the true nature of their inner selves.