JEPPE HEIN
MODIFIED SOCIAL SCULPTURES

THE ART GALLERY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA, ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA
JANUARY 2026 – JANUARY 2027

A trio of Jeppe Hein’s modified social sculptures have been brought to the tree-covered forecourt on North Terrace Boulevard. The artist’s exploration of urban architecture and social behaviour in public spaces led to his series of bench and lamp designs. His two bright red benches and yellow lamp borrow their basic forms from the ubiquitous park bench and streetlight, but are tweaked, twisted, or modified—making the act of using them a conscious interaction. Through these adaptations, the benches and light transform their surroundings into places of activity and engagement. The sculptures shift between functional city furniture and interactive works of art.

© Photo Henry Trumble

Jeppe Hein’s modified social sculptures will shape new exchanges on the journey to and from work, trips to the Gallery, Museum, and Library, as well as during coffee breaks and shopping trips. The ensemble creates a space that is at once a sculpture garden, a playground, and a place to pause.

MODIFIED SOCIAL BENCH NY 03, 2015
Powder-coated aluminium
199 × 262 × 44 cm

MODIFIED SOCIAL BENCH NY 04, 2015
Powder-coated aluminium
81 × 180 × 48 cm

MODIFIED STREET LIGHT 07, 2021
High-grade steel, powder-coated lamp head, LED
355 × 401 × 66 cm

Courtesy the artist and Arndt Art Agency. Installation by Exhibition Studios, Adelaide. Presented in partnership by the Art Gallery of South Australia and the City of Adelaide.

FEATURED ARTIST

JEPPE HEIN
Jeppe Hein (b. 1974 in Copenhagen, Denmark) is a Danish artist based in Berlin. He studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Arts in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the Städel Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Jeppe Hein is widely known for his production of experiential and interactive artworks that can be positioned at the junction where art, architecture, and technical inventions intersect. Unique in their formal simplicity and notable for their frequent use of humor, his works engage in a lively dialogue with the traditions of Minimalist sculpture and Conceptual art of the 1970s. Jeppe Hein’s works often feature ...
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