Here comes the absolute must-have magazine for the crisis! Already back in January, when the Corona virus was still some far away thing in the even farther away city of Wuhan, Max Siedentopf – artist, photographer, director and freelance art director – began constructing face masks in his London apartment using only readily available objects. Inspired by alternative masks he had seen on the Internet, the creative came up with a critical and humorous approach to the topic. Practicing self-isolation, he sculpted towers with tin cans, stitched together haute couture costumes, crafted monsters or laid traps while inventing bizarre alternatives to toilette paper or making sandals from strawberry jam. But that’s not all: He also published all of his activities on Instagram and invited followers to present their own versions of his works.
The most bizarre sculptures and weirdest scenes have now been compiled in a book at Hatje Cantz. This handy survival guide consists of different chapters that shed an ironic light on the process of getting by at home alone, whether one has chosen to isolate or has been ordered to: From “invent a new meal” to “make a painting using toothbrush” or even “balance all your beauty products” – it’s all there. His work is less about perfect aesthetics. What’s most important to him is the idea, whether he is photographing, designing or shooting a film.
He grew up in Windhoek (Namibia) and lived afterward in Berlin, LA and Amsterdam before moving to London. From 2013 to 2020, he was Creative Director at the agency KesselsKramer and became the youngest partner of the agency at only 25. He is the founder of art magazine Ordinary, which appears quarter-annually. More information and an ARTE Tracks video are available via ART ON THE BEAT by Hatje Cantz. And take a look at his website for more of his crazy projects.
Max Siedentopf ‘Home Alone Survival Guide’ (Editor: Nadine Barth, design by Max Siedentopf, English, 2020. 104 pages, 210 ills., ISBN 978-3-7757-4796-7)
