DK, b.1974
Courtesy of KÖNIG GALERIE, Berlin/London, 303 GALLERY, New York, and Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen
Jeppe Hein has created a large-scale social work of art, transforming the entire gallery space into a meeting place for reflection, workshops, and events during the exhibition period.
Along with the work come seven questions intended to initiate dialogue and – perhaps – providing a deeper level of self-insight. The work comprises seven benches in different colours with accompanying questions; the inspiration for this work derives from the Hindu understanding of the seven chakras identified in man. You are asked to pick a card with a question from the bowl, sit down on one of the benches and reflect or discuss the question. You can then leave the card on the museum wall to become part of the exhibition, take it home, or post it to a friend. Jeppe Hein’s entire project for Work it Out is entitled … Within Yourself and the benches, cards, and related workshops seek to create zones for dialogue between people, but can be used for solitary reflection as well.
Jeppe Hein is known for being candid about his stress-related illness after sustaining great pressure from work, a situation where he resorted to yoga, meditation, and personal development to recover and find his way back to his artistic practice. Like other occupations, the work of an artist is demanding with many deadlines, exhibition openings requiring major productions, agreements, and budgets, all of which can be overwhelming when, at the same time, you are required to be creative and produce new works in order to satisfy an art system where each new exhibition has to surpass the previous one. With the work created specifically for the exhibition Work it Out, Jeppe Hein uses his own personal story, making it universal by encouraging visitors to reflect on important questions in life.
You can explore Hein’s work and take part in one of our free workshops taking place every half hour with one of the competent museum guides.
We educate people to know what to become, but not to know themselves. Cultural formation of people is often overlooked when working to meet learning objectives and carry out national tests. How can you possibly find out who you are when you are constantly faced with the need to change and be adaptable? In the case of Hein, focus is on you and not your job title.