What has the legendary Max Siedentopf been up to lately? Ever since we last featured him, he made art for people who usually don’t like art, questioned the meaning of life, created sculptures out of liquor bottles, and most recently paid tribute to the infamous plumber’s crack. Curious about his latest projects? Let’s deep dive!
Known for his provocative and unique works, former competitive swimmer Max Siedentopf has left us smirking lots of times. And if we know anything about the creative director, photographer, videographer and Forward Festival speaker, it’s that he’s never out of ideas. Within the past months, Siedentopf has been busy working on a wide range of projects.
For example, the artist did some investigation and concluded that people who avoid museums and galleries oftentimes are the same ones who rather spend their time watching football. His series “Paintings League” pays homage to iconic football teams like FC Bayern München, Inter Milan, Chelsea FC, Manchester United, and FC Barcelona by turning the teams’ iconic shirts into acrylic-on-canvas paintings. While art heads can admire the minimalist, abstract approach and brushstrokes of the paintings, football fans can enjoy looking at their favorite team colors.
Another recent project questions the meaning of life during the current crisis – the Siedentopf way. The sculpture “The meaning of life” is in the shape of an oversized dessert jelly and acts as a symbol for the absurdity of life and its very meaning, stressing the current climate which has brought the world to an abrupt halt. The jelly conveys a feeling of childlike fun and innocence, and at the same time, on a deeper level, is closely connected to mortality as its main ingredient is gelatine and contains the remains of a dead animal’s bones and skin. The jelly sculpture brings across that naive fun was taken from us and a darker, more serious reality became our new one.
Not as deep and meaningful is Mr. Siedentopf’s latest sculpture work: “Service With A Smile” is an homage to the infamous plumber’s crack. The sculpture is part of the BUMS SHOW at the gallery Dio Horia in Mykonos and shows the plumber’s ass in very low fitted jeans, presenting the crack in a beautiful way.
So what’s next for Max Siedentopf? His talk at Forward Festival Berlin is coming up in September, where he will be presenting his most prestigious artworks alongside some surprises.