This installation, entitled Giving Up is Not an Option, is quite a funny play on concept, presentation, and meaning. Created by German artist Ole Ukena, the piece ironically appears to be unfinished. As viewers enter the space, they are confronted with the question of whether the installer is taking a break or–not heeding the words of advice on the wall–has actually given up on the project.
Ukena is a conceptual artist who utilizes various media including text, video, photography, collage, film, drawing, and sculpture. His bio states that his “diverse media work takes various forms, bound by a common thread of complex simplicity.” The simple, yet complex, fact of the matter in this installation is that, in its incompleteness, the project is actually finished.
Giving Up is Not an Option challenges viewers to consider what they see and to really think about the meaning behind the artwork. Through all of his thought-provoking creations, Ukena invites his viewers to explore deeper, alternative meanings not only in his work, but also in the world around us.
Ole Ukena's website
via [Lustik]
