Funny Money
Max Siedentopf
KesselsKramer Publishing
English
Hardcover
36 pages
130 x 70 mm.
2016
ISBN: 9789070478469
A lot of westerners and white Africans want to photograph the locals in Africa. Unfortunately, the truth is that they rarely want to document the reality of the person in front of them, rather they want a photo that reinforces their ‘idea’ of a stereotypical ‘African’. It is common place for photographers to pay these people for a photo, this gives them the power to instruct their subject on how they want to portray them; simultaneously turning the photo into a lie that exploits the individual, their culture, their tribal history and perpetuates derogatory stereotypes. The temptation of easy money (in countries where poverty is rife) is why these people usually agree to pose for the photos as dictated by wealthy westerners. They rarely get the opportunity to pose for a photo as ‘themselves’, the way they would choose to be seen if they were asked.
Max Siedentopf is a white Namibian who now lives in the Netherlands. On his last visit home he took 100 Euros and exchanged it for 1700 Namibian dollars. He asked locals if he could take their photo, if they wanted money in return Max let them name their price without any bargaining. They were free to pose any way they liked. His only request was that the money had to be part of the photo so that the ambitions and transactions that inspired the image were clear. How they were portrayed was completely up to them and he didn’t direct the photo in any way. The series was finished when Max ran out of money. This book shows how much fun and photos 100 Euros will get you in Namibia.
About the Artist:
Max Siedentopf grew up in Windhoek, Namibia and continued to live and work in Berlin and Los Angeles and currently resides in Amsterdam. He works across a wide range of mediums including sculpture, film, photography, publishing and bad jokes.
About the Publisher:
KesselsKramer is a company which aspires to do things differently in the field of communications. KesselsKramer Publishing is an extension of this restless attitude. In images and words, it finds new ways of expressing creativity through printed matter. All KesselsKramer Publishing projects are initiated by the creative thinkers of KesselsKramer. Each book or magazine expresses their personal passions, whether that passion is a collection of found photographs, short stories or a celebration of unusual artworks.
