Jeppe Hein, artist,
born 1974 in Copenhagen, Denmark
Jeppe Hein lives and works in Berlin. Hein studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Art between 1997 and 2003 and at the Städelschule in Frankfurt am Main between 1999 and 2000. Former assistant to Olafur Eliasson, his works include large sculptures and installations, some with motorised or mechanical elements. Many of his works are based on the principle that the viewer can have his or her experience changed by interacting with the works. His work is often located at the intersection of architecture and sculpture—for example Hein has presented a device that exists only in relationship to the spectator.
« We could say that his work is about feelings, a sort of mental sculpture that has both a life of its own and a life shared with the viewer. It happens sometimes that the users of Hein’s work don’t even know what the work is about. Actually they don’t even realize it’s a work of art. People use the work because the work is made to be used, but who uses it usually doesn’t see it.» (Francesco Bonami)1
He participated in the Venice Biennale in 2003 and has shown work internationally in many exhibitions and collections including the Tate Modern in London, Tate in Liverpool, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, Galerie für zeitgenössische Kunst in Leipzig, Fundacion Bilbao in Spain, MoCA in Los Angeles, MM K in Frankfurt and Lehnbachhaus in Munich.
Sving resembles a well-known garden swing of the variety usually used for relaxation and lazy days in summertime. Here, it is made dysfunctional for this purpose since the swing continuously spins fast around its own axis. As a ready-made object taken out of the context of everyday life, the swing directly refers to the middle class leisure industry. But this Sving is a swing that spins around its own axis 45 times per minute. The absurdity and ambiguity of the object questions our understanding of the functionality of objects and the position of a work of art in relation to the public.
1 Francesco Bonami: blog article on www.hankblog.wordpress.com 2006.
Jeppe Hein, Sving, 2003.
Steel, pillow, fabric, stone, motor.
Courtesy of the artist;
JOHANN KÖNIG, Berlin.
