Jeppe Hein is no ordinary artist. Having exhibited at major international art fairs and events like Frieze, Art Basel and Venice Biennale, Hein has ticked off most of the boxes of what any early-career artist could ever dream of. He is also not your so-called typical art type. At our first introduction at this studio in Kreuzberg where I was invited, Hein welcomes me with a big smile, ushers me into his in-studio kitchen and introduces me to everyone in the studio almost like an old friend.<\/p>\n
Followed by the introductions, he gets straight into the details of his recent exhibition ‘Right Here, Right Now’ with great enthusiasm. The exhibition, which is in collaboration with Champagne Maison Ruinart<\/span><\/a>, explores the process of champagne making and history, reinterpreted by Hein. \u201cThe main thing as an artist, of course, is that it\u2019s always a challenge to collaborate with a Maison of almost 300 years of history and culture. You ask yourself, \u2018Where do I fit in? How do you work? How do they use your name? How do I use their name?\u2019.\u201d I hear his questions loud and clear, valid too – so what exactly does a collaboration with a champagne house look and feel like from an artistic point of view?<\/p>\n Hein and Ruinart\u2019s answer is a sensory experience, one that requires the viewer to be fully present by incorporating physical elements found on the grounds of Maison Ruinart in France. Hein, who has practised yoga and meditation religiously following a severe burnout in 2009 and has already been living by the mantra of \u201cRight Here, Right Now\u201d and using his learnings of the 7 chakras, present us with an experiential exhibition and \u2018An Artful Dinner\u2019<\/a> to rethink, rediscover, the four elements (earth, water, fire, air) and five senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste). \u201cI had 5 Michelin-stars in my kitchen, that\u2019s quite an achievement\u201d jokes Hein, referring to the 5 different Michelin-star chefs he and Ruinart have collaborated with for the dining experience that included Berlin-based chef, Bj\u00f6rn Swanson, who led the dinner with the artist at the recent Berlin Gallery Weekend<\/a>.<\/p>\n Continuing the journey to the next international city, SLEEK caught up with Jeppe Hein to chat about the ongoing exhibition before leaving for the next destination of ‘Right Here, Right Now.’<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":99895,"id":99895,"title":"JEPPEHEIN_FOODFORART_RUINART_2022 (4)","filename":"JEPPEHEIN_FOODFORART_RUINART_2022-4-scaled.jpg","filesize":443574,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_FOODFORART_RUINART_2022-4-scaled.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/jeppe-hein-and-ruinart-in-studio\/jeppehein_foodforart_ruinart_2022-4\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"jeppehein_foodforart_ruinart_2022-4","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":99811,"date":"2022-05-19 10:30:27","modified":"2022-05-19 10:30:27","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1280,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_FOODFORART_RUINART_2022-4-scaled.jpg","thumbnail-width":128,"thumbnail-height":85,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_FOODFORART_RUINART_2022-4-scaled.jpg","medium-width":1920,"medium-height":1280,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_FOODFORART_RUINART_2022-4-scaled.jpg","medium_large-width":1920,"medium_large-height":1280,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_FOODFORART_RUINART_2022-4-scaled.jpg","large-width":1920,"large-height":1280,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_FOODFORART_RUINART_2022-4-1536x1024.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_FOODFORART_RUINART_2022-4-2048x1365.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1365,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_FOODFORART_RUINART_2022-4-scaled.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":18,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_FOODFORART_RUINART_2022-4-3072x2048.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":3072,"wpvr_mobile-height":2048}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"6","caption":"Jeppe Hein 'Food For Art' chefs in Jeppe Hein studio in Berlin, 2022. Photography by Jessica Jungbauer. Image Courtesy of Maison Ruinart."}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":" SLEEK: The idea of \u2018Right Here, Right Now\u2019 is relevant more than ever in today\u2019s context. What was it like visiting Maison Ruinart and what was the process of working on this collaborative exhibition like?<\/p>\n Jeppe Hein: I\u2019ve been there 3 times now. My first experience was very emotional. It blew my mind away in the sense that all my senses were activated.<\/p>\n My work has always been about having a tool and the artwork is<\/em> the tool that starts the communication, creates dialogue with its space; whether it\u2019s inside a gallery or outside. Get people out of their comfort zone so we can start to play a little bit. When people start to play, a part of them become children again and they find themselves opening up to someone or maybe even just to themselves.<\/p>\n All the people I met from the fields to the production, everyone were doing it with such precision. With beautiful energy. They were so dedicated and proud of what they were doing. Then I could see that this production is almost the same as when I produce. When an idea comes out, that’s the nature part of it.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":99898,"id":99898,"title":"JEPPEHEIN_REIMS_RUINART_2022 (4)","filename":"JEPPEHEIN_REIMS_RUINART_2022-4.jpg","filesize":1384964,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_REIMS_RUINART_2022-4.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/jeppe-hein-and-ruinart-in-studio\/jeppehein_reims_ruinart_2022-4\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"jeppehein_reims_ruinart_2022-4","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":99811,"date":"2022-05-19 10:31:09","modified":"2022-05-19 10:31:09","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1280,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_REIMS_RUINART_2022-4.jpg","thumbnail-width":128,"thumbnail-height":85,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_REIMS_RUINART_2022-4.jpg","medium-width":1920,"medium-height":1280,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_REIMS_RUINART_2022-4.jpg","medium_large-width":1920,"medium_large-height":1280,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_REIMS_RUINART_2022-4.jpg","large-width":1920,"large-height":1280,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_REIMS_RUINART_2022-4-1536x1024.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_REIMS_RUINART_2022-4.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1280,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_REIMS_RUINART_2022-4.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":18,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_REIMS_RUINART_2022-4.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1920,"wpvr_mobile-height":1280}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"10","caption":"Jeppe Hein in Ruinart historic chalk cellars: the cray\u00e8res, 2022. Photography by Mathieu Bonnevie. Image Courtesy of Maison Ruinart."}},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":99902,"id":99902,"title":"JEPPEHEIN_REIMS_RUINART_2022 (3)","filename":"JEPPEHEIN_REIMS_RUINART_2022-3-scaled.jpg","filesize":442146,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_REIMS_RUINART_2022-3-scaled.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/jeppe-hein-and-ruinart-in-studio\/jeppehein_reims_ruinart_2022-3\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"jeppehein_reims_ruinart_2022-3","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":99811,"date":"2022-05-19 10:48:07","modified":"2022-05-19 10:48:07","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1280,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_REIMS_RUINART_2022-3-scaled.jpg","thumbnail-width":128,"thumbnail-height":85,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_REIMS_RUINART_2022-3-scaled.jpg","medium-width":1920,"medium-height":1280,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_REIMS_RUINART_2022-3-scaled.jpg","medium_large-width":1920,"medium_large-height":1280,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_REIMS_RUINART_2022-3-scaled.jpg","large-width":1920,"large-height":1280,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_REIMS_RUINART_2022-3-1536x1024.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_REIMS_RUINART_2022-3-2048x1366.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1366,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_REIMS_RUINART_2022-3-scaled.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":18,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/JEPPEHEIN_REIMS_RUINART_2022-3-scaled.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1920,"wpvr_mobile-height":1280}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"6","caption":"Jeppe Hein in Reims, 2022. Photography by Mathieu Bonnevie. Image Courtesy of Maison Ruinart."}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":" S: Did you discover something new through your collaboration with Ruinart?<\/p>\n JH: When you go down to the basement, you feel the humidity on your face immediately. The smell is different, the light changes and it’s 5 to 8 degrees. As you’re walking along, you can pick up these small pieces, like wet chalk and [when I picked it up] and smelled that, I said, \u201cthis is something I have to use.\u201d I had no idea what for, but I knew I had to use it.<\/p>\n S: As “Right Here, Right Now” continues on to New York, Basel, London, Paris, Tokyo and Miami, what do you want to bring to the audience of each city?<\/p>\n JH: Everything is made with empathy and love – even the smallest detail is planned. What [the guest] see, what they smell. At the dinner, the guests are required to leave their phones at the door so they can be right here, right now. And throughout the exhibition or the dinner, you are made to look at yourself, whether through a mirror reflection, or something else, we guide people to question and try to open up their senses. It\u2019s also to see your own reaction to situations; for example, because the exhibition and dinner are very interactive, you sometimes see people are feeling very awkward and others have no problem, some people touch this delicately, others want to destroy it, this itself creates a unique experience and allows the audience to just experience being in the present.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"