Jeppe Hein

Social Bench and Lamps outside on the middle terrace, facing the Grand Canal

Mirror speech Bubble “You Are Magic for Me” next to the concierge desk

Exhibition at the St. Regis Hotel Venice, till 30 November 2024

Jeppe Hein is a Danish artist based in Berlin and Copenhagen.

He is known for the creation of interactive artworks that blur the boundaries between art, architecture and human experience. His works, which are distinctive in their formal simplicity and noted for their frequent use of humour, engage in a lively dialogue with the tradition of 1970s Conceptual art and Minimalist sculpture.

One of the defining characteristics of Hein’s work is its interactive nature. He seeks to create art that encourages active participation and engages the viewer on both a physical and emotional level. Through his installations, he invites audiences to become active participants, blurring the traditional boundaries between artist and observer.

For the St. Regis Venice, Jeppe Hein has on display an outdoor installation “Social Bench and Lamps” on the middle terrace of the St. Regis Hotel in the patio facing the Grand Canal and an artwork “You are Magic for Me” at the entrance area next to the concierge desk.

“You are Magic for Me” is installed on the wall to welcome the guests. The sentence of the artwork emerges from the surface of the mirror in the shape of a speech bubble. An intriguing perspective on the depth and three dimensionality of the mirror installation is provided by the mix of the reflecting surface and the cut-out, angled letters. The appellative message, layered with reflections of the spectators and the surrounding area, appears to be addressed directly to the viewers, awakening them to the present moment.

“Social Bench and Lamps” is installed outside on the middle terrace of the St. Regis Hotel, visible from the Grand Canal and the patio. The social bench is one of the playful furniture the artist creates to criticise with humour the controlling and marginalised designs of human spaces. He uses unconventional shapes to reimagine the conventional way of seating; to smaller works that provoke contemplation and reflection.

Some of these benches have been permanently installed in places such as the Montenmedio Sculpture Park, in Cadiz, Spain, and in Helsinki, Finland. Hein collaborated with Dan Graham (American, b.1942) in 2008 to install a temporary pavilion in Cologne, Germany.

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WHO AM I WHY AM I WHERE AM I GOING

HO AM I WHY AM I WHERE AM I GOING glows in white neon letters behind a two-way mirror, layered with reflections of the visitors and the surrounding space. Combined with the two-way mirror in front of it, the appellative message seems to awaken viewers to the present moment and question their sense of self.

Year: 2017
Dimensions: 100 x 100 x 10 cm
Materials: powder-coated aluminium, neon tubes, two-way mirror, powder-coated
steel, transformers
Courtesy KÖNIG GALERIE, Berlin, 303 Gallery, New York, and Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen
Exhibition: POST WATER, National Mountain Museum of Turin, IT, 2018
Who am I?, Tang contemporary Art Beijing, CN, 2020
Photo credits: Studio Jeppe Hein / Florian Neufeldt

My Mirror #13

A slash cuts through the surface of a mirror canvas, composed of mirror foil mounted on a frame. Due to the materiality of the foil, the mirror surface ripples along the edge of the cut, giving the mirror a wavelike appearance. Alluding to Lucio Fontana’s slash series, the Mirror Canvas series broadens the perception of an image by affording a narrow view into the depth of the canvas, transforming the flat surface into a threedimensional sculpture.

Year: 2020
Materials: Mirror foil on aluminium frame
Dimension: 30 x 30 cm
Courtesy: KÖNIG GALERIE, Berlin, 303 Gallery, New York and Galeri Nicolai Wallner
Photo: Studio Jeppe Hein / Jan Strempel

Price on request for artworks gw@editionartco.com

 Jeppe Hein
My Mirror #24, 2021 
unique
Mirror foil on aluminium frame
30 x 30 cm