Apr. 21, 2022
Berlin-based artist Jeppe Hein was born in Denmark, where he grew up on an organic farm near the ocean, raised by teacher parents. He studied at the Städelschule in Frankfurt in the 1990s, where he met gallery owner and long-time supporter Johann König, whose gallery represents the artist today. This year, the renowned champagne house Ruinart has entrusted Hein with its ‘Carte Blanche’ project, which offers a new artistic interpretation of Ruinart’s history and process. With this commission, Hein reflects the house’s commitment to fostering and supporting art through an installation that awakens the senses, while placing each of us at the centre of a playful participatory experience.
In addition to the presentation of his installation, the pop-up restaurant ‘Right Here, Right Now’ by Hein, star chef Björn Swanson (restaurant Faelt) and Maison Ruinart will take place during Berlin’s Gallery Weekend, offering guests an “Artful Dinner Experience” on April 29th and 30th.
Jeppe Hein in Reims, 2022 // Photo by Mathieu Bonnevie
For Jeppe Hein, making champagne—from the moment the grapes are harvested to the first tasting—is a total sensory experience. After extensive research on the grounds of Ruinart’s historic vineyards and chalk cellars, he translated the essence of this experience into a participatory art installation entitled ‘RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW.’ The piece will appeal to the five senses and summon the four elements—earth/soil, water/rain, air/wind and fire/sun—which are essential to champagne making.
A large mirror in the centre of the installation has a round opening for visitors to reach inside and take one of the four elements, to be experienced sensorially. Visitors are invited to see themselves in the mirror, touch the chalk, listen to a delicate drop of essential oil falling into the palm of their hand, smell the scent of the Chardonnay flower in the air and taste a sun-ripened raisin.
Jeppe Hein: ‘RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW,’ 2022 // Photo by Strempel Photography
Jeppe Hein: ‘RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW,’ 2022 // Photo by Strempel Photography
The mirror is a motif that recurs in Hein’s work. For this Carte Blanche installation, he will also present seven mirror speech bubbles, each with a message of appeal: “Right here, right now”; “The answer is within you”; “You are magic for me”; “What if this does not exist?”; “You change to change”; “Be aware of your small sensations”; “Say it all without saying anything”.
This ever-changing installation, whose colours evolve throughout the year, can be seen at the major contemporary art fairs, including la Biennale di Venezia, Art Brussels and Gallery Weekend Berlin (April); Frieze New York (May); Art Basel (June); Frieze London and FIAC Paris (October); Art Week Tokyo (November); and Art Basel Miami Beach (December). In addition, a digital rendering of the installation will be offered online from early April.
Food for Art chefs in Jeppe Hein’s studio in Berlin, 2022 // Photo by Jessica Jungbauer
This year, five chefs from around the world—Eugenio Boer, Björn Swanson, Tarik Lange, Clément Bouvier and Sugio Yamaguchi—met Jeppe Hein at his studio in Berlin. This artistic and gastronomic dialogue was underpinned by Ruinart’s cuvées and the ambition to transpose the Maison’s vision into a culinary experience, which the artist has condensed into the Carte Blanche installation. The public will also be able to experience ‘Food For Art’ at the international art fairs where the ‘RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW’ installation will be presented, either at the fair itself or in the chef’s restaurant.
Jeppe Hein: ‘Limited Edition,’ 2022 // Photo by MH Studio
A limited edition packaging for the champagne was also designed by Hein. Echoing the installation ‘RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW,’ the wooden box was whitened with chalk taken directly from the walls of Ruinart’s chalk pits in Reims. Instead
of the usual Ruinart label, a rosé-coloured mirror label appears on the front of the bottle, with no writing, recalling the bubbles from the art installation. Once the bottle has been removed, the box serves as the base for a rose-coloured mirror sculpture.
Additional Info
Jeppe Hein x Ruinart
‘RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW’
Exhibition: Apr. 29–May 1, 2022; 11am–5pm
Studio Jeppe Hein, Dessauer Straße 6, 10963 Berlin, click here for map
Pop-up Restaurant
by Jeppe Hein, Björn Swanson & Maison Ruinart
‘An Artful Dinner Experience’
Apr. 29 & 30, 2022; 7pm
Special dinner € 275, RSVP: here
Dessauer Straße 6, 10963 Berlin, click here for map
