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From 1997-2003, Jeppe Hein studied at the Royal Academy of Arts, Copenhagen continuing from 1999-2000 at Städelschule in Frankfurt. In 1997, the artist was a cofounder of the exhibition forum OTTO in Copenhagen and in 2002, he designed his installation Did I miss something.
One copy was installed at the Österreichischer Skulpturenpark. The sculpture consists of a water surface integrated in the landscape, that encourages us to sit down on one of the benches around and lets us get involved in a fascinating play with shaping and vanishing shapes, which is a result of the manipulation of perception. Through his exhibitions,
Jeppe Hein became famous in an international context through his many exhibitions, such as his participation in the Venice Biennale in 2003, above all arousing interestwith his rigorous geometric and interactive works. The artist staged further exhibitions in Stuttgart, London, Copenhagen and Liverpool in which interactive situations were a typical feature of his works.
For him, art is a system which is anchored in a special place such as a museum, an art association, a gallery or a public space. At these locations, art can deploy itself: shift things, delete barriers and create motion. Motion in the form of fountains, light sculptures or other (aesthetic) things together with interaction, is at the center of his work. His is installations often deal with theoretical questions of art, e.g. with the White Cube, with site-specific culture or social context, and beholders are always confronted with them in an exciting, playful and sometimes irritating manner.
With his sculptures and installations which are reminiscent of Minimal Art, the Danish artist refers to spatial, situational and institutional art structures. As a beholder, one influences the installation through one's own presence, triggering processes that put the work of art literally into motion, the beholder becoming an integral part of the installation. An example of this is Moving Walls 180, two white walls that are moved by a sensor as soon as somebody enters the room; or Moving Bench # 2, two benches that change their original location if you sit down on them, becoming a slow transport means for the "users". In 2009, Jeppe Hein exhibited also at Madison Square Park, New York.
His works are meant to spark off subversive irritations. In a playful manner, he creates conditions that redefine the representation environment of art, so that it can be re-experienced.