"Take the Money and Run" - Art or Theft?

Lecture: "Take the Money and Run" - Art or Theft: Thursday 24 September 2026, 17:00–19:00, Nørresundby Bibliotek, Nørresundby. Tickets cost 100 kr.

In 2021, Danish artist Jens Haaning was asked to update two earlier works for an exhibition at Kunsten with the theme 'modern working life'. Both works consisted of banknotes in frames - an average Danish annual income from 2010 and an average Austrian annual income from 2007 - and the museum lent him the money for the purpose. What the museum received in return were two empty frames and a statement that Haaning had created a new work: Take the Money and Run.

The work is institutional critique conceptual art, where the action itself, the discussions, and the aftermath are as central as the empty frames. Through this, Haaning questions the value of art, artists' working conditions, and the structures of the capitalist system - challenging institutions both literally and symbolically.

The lecture is a collaboration between Kunsten and Nørresundby Library. Light refreshments, beverages, and coffee/tea with pastries will be served.

Venue: Byrådssalen, Nørresundby Library