EN
Trust + You Matter Don't Give up
by
Max Siedentopf
There’s something eerie in the room Max Siedentopf (1991) has created—but also something calm. A strange, quiet kind of trust.
At first glance, your attention is drawn to Trust: a life-size figure seemingly caught in mid-fall from a plinth. The man, dressed in casual everyday clothes, stands with crossed arms and closed eyes, looking like someone you might pass on the street. Behind him, the work You Matter Don’t Give up features an electronic sign that alternates between the words ‘You Matter’ and ‘Don’t Give Up’. The shifting text creates a mood that is both comforting and unsettling. Together, the works raise questions about vulnerability, anticipation, and the human need to trust: is someone there to catch him, or does it reflect the trust we must place in ourselves?
Trust exemplifies Max’s multidisciplinary approach, turning the everyday into playful and thought-provoking art. His work moves between photography, sculpture, installation, video, and publishing, often mixing humor with sharp social critique. By placing familiar things—like a man in ordinary clothes frozen in time or a comforting digital message—in surprising contexts, Max exposes the absurdities and contradictions of modern life. His pieces are precise in execution yet irreverent in idea, moving between art, design, and popular culture. In doing so, he invites viewers to look differently at daily life and reflect on questions of identity, society, and human connection.
Type: sculpture
Materials: plinth, silicon, hair, textile
Year: 2024
About Max Siedentopf
Max Siedentopf (b. 1991, Windhoek, Namibia) is an artist and creative who has worked across Berlin, Los Angeles, Lisbon, Amsterdam, and London. He is the founder of the art publication ORDINARY, which transforms everyday objects into subjects of visual fascination. He was creative director at renowned agency KesselsKramer, becoming its youngest partner at age 25.
His multidisciplinary practice blends meticulous craftsmanship with provocative themes. He has collaborated with luxury brands such as Gucci, Hermès, Prada, Balenciaga, Palace, and Jacquemus. While his installation the middle of a dessert, Toto Forever, was named one of artnet’s “10 Extraordinary Artworks You Need to Travel to the Edge of the World to See.”
