Jeppe Hein

(Danish, born 1974)

Jeppe Hein is a contemporary Danish artist whose interactive works combine different elements of architecture and art for the viewer to confront. By employing materials such as mirrors, balloons, and benches, Hein invites spectators to activate the exhibition space. “I want to show that the work isn’t anything on its own, it is only what the public informs it with. The viewer’s role brings the piece to the center of attention,” he has explained. Born in 1974 in Copenhagen, Denmark, he studied at both the Royal Danish Academy of Art and the Städelschule in Frankfurt at the start of his career. Hein’s sense of playfulness towards the history of both Minimalist sculpture and Conceptual Art can be seen in his use of mazes and movable sculptures, which balance humor with structure. In 2008, he collaborated with the American artist Dan Graham to install a temporary pavilion in Cologne. Hein currently lives and works between Berlin, Germany and Copenhagen, Denmark. Today, his works are held in the collections of the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and the Tate Gallery in London, among others.