They say art is subjective, but sometimes viewers can’t help but wonder how the piece they are looking at could be considered art.
A museum in Denmark may be thinking the same thing after they paid an artist $84,000 to recreate two sculptures, only to receive two blank canvases in return, reported USA Today.
The installation, titled "Take the Money and Run," is now on display and it has many wondering if it’s actually art or not.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE 2 BLANK CANVASES IN THE ART PIECE
Danish artist Jens Haaning gave the Kunsten Museum of Modern Art in Aalborg, Denmark two blank canvases after being paid to create something else for an exhibit. Haaning was asked to recreate two of his previous works that used actual cash to show the average incomes of Denmark and Austria.
However, the artist decided to change it up for the museum's "Work it Out" exhibit.
“The curator received an email in which Jens Haaning wrote that he had made a new piece of art work and changed the work title into 'Take the Money and Run.' Subsequently, we could ascertain that the money had not been put into the work," said museum director Lasse Andersson, per CBS News.
"Jens is known for his conceptual and activistic art with a humoristic touch. And he gave us that – but also a bit of a wake up call as everyone know wonders were did the money go," Andersson added.
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The artist attempted to clarify the meaning of "Take the Money and Run."
"Everyone would like to have more money and, in our society, work industries are valued differently," Haaning said in a statement, the outlet noted. "The artwork is essentially about the working conditions of artists. It is a statement saying that we also have the responsibility of questioning the structures that we are part of. And if these structures are completely unreasonable, we must break with them. It can be your marriage, your work - it can be any type of societal structure".
While it is unlcear if the artist plans on returning the $84K, the exhibition will run from September 24 to January 16, 2022.
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