It started in 2013 as an autobiographical research project. I had already been dealing with health issues for a while by that time. I felt completely burnt-out, which resulted in a host of different physical complaints. It was out of my experience with being ill and having to take prescription drugs that I developed insecta - pharma.

 

As my medical knowledge grew I began gathering up questions about health and medicine at an equal pace. Are certain symptoms causes or effects? Is there necessarily a difference between preventing and curing disease? Where do we draw the line when it comes to the side effects of drugs, are they inescapable or unacceptable? 

 

I soon saw that these questions cannot be answered in a clear-cut way. One’s experiences with being on medication are personal, unique and often come with an emotional component. When you are prescribed a drug it can sometimes feel like being sentenced to a punishment, but it can also feel life-changing in a positive sense. Taking a pill has, in many instances, become the most obvious course of action when when faced with range of issues.

 

With insecta - pharma I try to speak to the inescapable prevalence of drugs in our society by comparing them with insects. Their omnipresence, their indispensable role in our daily lives, the ways in which they manifest themselves: their useful and beneficial traits concurrent with their negative side effects. Pills as small entities, a whole new group of insects with its own classification system.

 

A combination of taxonomy, entomology and pharmacology. Every tablet or capsule has its own life purpose, characteristics and appearance.