Text Richard Catty
Images Courtesy of Ruinart
Jeppe Hein x Ruinart at Gallery Weekend Berlin
From the 29th April to 1st May 2022, around 50 galleries will open their doors as part of Berlin’s annual Gallery Weekend. There are plenty of incredible venues and works to explore within the city’s bubbling art scene and one of our picks for the weekend is Studio Jeppe Hein, which will host a collaboration with iconic champagne brand Ruinart.
Not only is Ruinart the oldest champagne house, existing since 1729, but one with a longstanding focus on art as a medium for communication. Back in 1896, the Maison commissioned Czech artist Alphonse Mucha—who would later spearhead the Art Nouveau movement—to design an advertisement for the brand. Featuring an elegant figure, with gallons of cascading hair, holding a champagne saucer of Ruinart’s finest, the now emblematic poster became the blueprint for artistic collaboration that endures to this day.
A component of this commitment to art is the Carte Blanche program, which provides creative minds with a platform to freely express their vision of Ruinart's legacy. The latest beneficiary of this freedom is Copenhagen-born Jeppe Hein, known for his ’70s-inspired, dialogue-inducing minimalist installations. Following a recent launch in Palais Tokyo, Paris, and subsequent visit to the Biennale in Venice, the Berlin-based artist brings his Right Here, Right Now installation home—just in time for Gallery Weekend.
As a multi-part interactive art project, the collaboration with Ruinart focuses on its audience, utilising the elements of sun, earth, water and air—responsible for bestowing champagne with its specific terroir—to create sensory experiences, transporting the perceiver into the present moment and deeper connection with their inner self. For those with a particular taste for culinary insights, Hein combines his vision with that of Michelin star chef Björn Swanson to deliver a pop-up restaurant at the gallery. Guests will be treated to a four-course meal, accompanied by Ruinart champagne and an absorbing artistic atmosphere, with a few surprises in store too. . .
Click here to find out more information about Jeppe Hein x Ruinart.