Last week (30 September), news of Danish artist Jens Haaning went viral when he purportedly ‘took the money and ran’.
Global arts media picked up on Haaning’s prankster antics, when he delivered two blank canvases to Kunsten Museum – located in Aalborg, Denmark – which he had been commissioned to create for a new exhibition for a fee of $AUD116,106 (534,000 kroner).
Haaning titled the pair of paintings, Take the Money and Run, pushing the work into a realm that many artists have flirted with over time – social commentary veiled with humour.
Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's Senior Contributor, after 12 years in the role as National Visual Arts Editor. She has worked for extended periods in America and Southeast Asia, as gallerist, arts administrator and regional contributing editor for a number of magazines, including Hong Kong based Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. She is an Art Tour leader for the AGNSW Members, and lectures regularly on the state of the arts. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW.
Instagram: fairleygina
