JEPPE
HEIN
Penguins,
Mirrors
&
the
Art
of
Finding
Yourself
"Who am I when I dare to look into the mirror?" – Jeppe Hein
"Who am I when I dare to look
into the mirror?" – Jeppe Hein
In this new video interview, Danish artist Jeppe Hein sits among his penguins and reflects on his work.
The works began as balloons. For over a decade, Hein has shaped and folded these forms to send wishes into the world. This practice was born out of a personal crisis: a burnout in 2009 and a subsequent search for balance, love, and self-acceptance. Over the years, balloons gave way to creatures: underwater beings, animal forms, and now a quiet family of penguins, each one standing on a stone, each one carrying an unmistakable personality.But these sculptures are more than animals. Bend a neck or shift a posture, and the whole mood changes—just like people do. Hein sees their body language as a mirror of the visitor's own. How does one enter a room? How does one carry oneself through a day? How does one show up for one's life? The mirrored surfaces are no accident. "Who am I when I dare to look?" is a question Hein has lived with for years.
The exhibition YOU ARE NEVER REALLY ALLONE arrives in the Nave of St. Agnes as an invitation to find oneself in something small, round, and quietly waddling—and to feel a little less alone.
