conceptual artist max siedentopf directs and photographs gucci’s new campaigns

The GG in Blue

Navigating through the portfolio of conceptual artist Max Siedentopf means using a dead fish as the cursor, slanted to make its protruding mouth the pointer. At first, questioning why a fish would be chosen as the cursor may dawn, but one may soon realize it may relate to the new campaign Siedentopf directed for Gucci.

The fish skin repeats in rows, all gray and monotonous, running in a singular beat. The same motif visits Gucci’s The GG in Blue, where the House’s monogram canvas displays repetition and a timeless mix of blue and beige, originally from the ‘70s, and appears in a new campaign by Siedentopf.

As the director, concept guardian, and photographer of the campaign, Siedentopf positions his subjects not to take the spotlight of the photographs, but to complement Gucci’s monogram, even creating overlapping imagery that, at times, makes the subjects form part of the uniformed Gucci design.

images by Max Siedentopf and Gucci

The new Gucci campaigns

The models stand with Gucci’s handbag, sit on the bed with the purse, recline on the classic-looking car with the luggage on hand, eat a slice of cake, and pour tea in a cup, all while the monogram of Gucci envelops them with its history and the touch of Siedentopf’s direction wraps around the production.

In the dedicated campaign, the power of the GG motif in blue comes at the forefront. Echoing how Creative Director Alessandro Michele has spotlighted the archival coloring from the ‘70s across bags and shoes in the Love Parade collection, the instantly recognizable pattern now becomes even more ingrained in the memories of its cult as it decorates beds, tables, walls, and cakes, as well as a convertible car.

conceptual artist max siedentopf directs and photographs gucci’s new campaigns

From concept to photographs

Siedentopf also worked on GUCCI x Major League Baseball™ as its photographer, concept visualizer, and director, inspired by the well-worn baseball cap in Alessandro Michele’s wardrobe and a conception of an assemblage between the historic codes of the House and those of various MLB teams for the Pre-Fall 2018 collection.

A London-based multidisciplinary conceptual artist working across video, photography, sculpture, creative direction, and everything in-between, Siedentopf has worn many hats including being the founder of the art publication ORDINARY and having been the creative director of the creative agency KesselsKramer, which was founded in 1996 by the dutch artist Erik Kessels.

siedentopf is the campaigns’ director, concept visualizer, and photographer