Jeppe Hein’s global art action launches in New York
Opened at the UN headquarters and Central Park, the temporary public installation Breathe with Me invites audiences to create a piece of art together by painting their breath in the form of two blue downward brushstrokes
A fundamental breathing exercise is poised to become a global art movement, thanks to the efforts of the Danish-born, Berlin-based artist Jeppe Hein. Hein, who began the practice of conscious breathing about ten years ago after he suffered an emotional breakdown, has been steadily incorporating the technique in his work – first through a series of Breathing Watercolours, where the lengths and depths of his breathing guide the execution of his paint strokes, and subsequently, inviting visitors to his exhibitions to do the same.
‘After just two exhales of drawing these strokes, they would just look at me and say, ‘I have never felt my breath like this in my life,’ Hein recalls. ‘I’d been doing it for five to six years on my own, but to see other people reacting very strongly, when many just take for granted that we’re breathing, really made an impact on me.’
Inspired by that reaction, Hein unveiled Breathe With Me, a weeklong global art action in New York that invited audiences from around the world to paint their individual breaths. Launched together with Art 2030, a non-profit organisation that works with art to inspire action for a sustainable future, and achieve the UN Global Goals, Breathe With Me kicked off at the United Nations’ Youth Climate Summit over the weekend, with the participation of dignitaries and diplomats who painted their breath on a undulating canvas wall weaving its way through the lobby of the UN headquarters.
Painted in ultramarine blue, which the artist chose for its a universal appeal, each linear brushstroke represents the exhale of an individual’s breath. Largely variable, due to each participant’s height and lung capacity amongst others, the result is a wonderfully diverse set of simple lines that powerfully stand together as a whole.
The UN presentation is to be followed by a larger installation in Central Park opening today – the first major public art installation being staged in the park since Christo and Jeanne Claude’s The Gates in 2005. From 25 – 27 September, Breathe With Me will welcome public participants to paint their breath with brushes and paint supplied by Hein and Art 2030 over six large canvas waves, spanning 600ft, that will wind their way through the heart of the park.
A post shared by Breathe with Me (@breathewithmeandtheworld)
A photo posted by on
Breathe With Me takes the form of Breathing Watercolours painted by the public that visualise the invisible – our breath and the resulting relation between us – reminding us to cooperate if we want to share this world together, today and in the future,’ Hein explains. ‘Ideally, it will encourage people to conspire, as in Latin “conspirare” means to breathe together.’
In the planning for over two years, Breathe With Me is a worldwide initiative that knows few limits. In addition to the two installations in New York, Hein has created a downloadable Breathe With Me manual that can be accessed by individuals, organisations, institutions, schools and communities around the world. Intended as an inspirational kit that can be subject to interpretation and achievable with whatever materials are available to hand, the art piece has already attracted great interest from technology companies, museums and educational bodies worldwide.
Hein has also enlisted a group of ambassadors, who he calls First Breathers, to drum up support for the project. By documenting the participation of figures ranging from architect Bjarke Ingels to artists Tomás Saraceno and Pipilotti Rist, musician Michael Stipe and chef Daniel Humm, in the form of short, intimate videos, he proves just how simple and impactful the act of conscious breathing can be.
INFORMATION
‘Breathe with Me’, 25 – 27 September. breathewithme.world
ADDRESS
Central Park Center Road
Frisbee Hill (located between the Sheep Meadow and Naumberg Bandshell)
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Pei-Ru Keh is a former US Editor at Wallpaper*. Born and raised in Singapore, she has been a New Yorker since 2013. Pei-Ru held various titles at Wallpaper* between 2007 and 2023. She reports on design, tech, art, architecture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle happenings in the United States, both in print and digitally. Pei-Ru took a key role in championing diversity and representation within Wallpaper's content pillars, actively seeking out stories that reflect a wide range of perspectives. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, and is currently learning how to drive.
-
Aesop’s Salone del Mobile 2024 installations in Milan are multisensory experiences
Aesop has partnered with Salone del Mobile to launch a series of installations across Milan, tapping into sight, touch, taste, and scent
By Hannah Tindle Published
-
Dial into the Boring Phone and more smartphone alternatives
From the deliberately dull new Boring Phone to Honor’s latest hook-up with Porsche, a host of new devices that do the phone thing slightly differently
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Berlinde De Bruyckere’s angels without faces touch down in Venice church
Belgian artist Berlinde De Bruyckere’s recent archangel sculptures occupy the 16th-century white marble Abbazia di San Giorgio Maggiore for the Venice Biennale 2024
By Osman Can Yerebakan Published
-
The Met’s ‘The Real Thing: Unpacking Product Photography’ dissects the avant-garde in early advertising
A new exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York explores the role of product photography and advertising in shaping the visual language of modernism
By Zoe Whitfield Published
-
Tony Notarberardino’s Chelsea Hotel Portraits preserve a slice of bygone New York life
‘Tony Notarberardino: Chelsea Hotel Portraits, 1994-2010’, on show at New York’s ACA Galleries, is the photographer’s ode to the storied hotel he calls home and its eclectic clientele
By Hannah Silver Published
-
‘LA Gun Club’: artist Jane Hilton on who’s shooting who
‘LA Gun Club’, an exhibition by Jane Hilton at New York’s Palo Gallery, explores American gun culture through a study of targets and shooters
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Detroit Institute of Arts celebrates Black cinema
‘Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898-1971’ at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) brings lost or forgotten films, filmmakers and performers to a contemporary audience
By Anne Soward Published
-
BLUM marks 30 years of Japanese contemporary art in America
BLUM will take ‘Thirty Years: Written with a Splash of Blood’ to its New York space in September 2024, continuing its celebration of Japanese contemporary art in America
By Timothy Anscombe-Bell Published
-
Todd Gray’s sculptural photography collages defy dimension, linearity and narrative
In Todd Gray’s New York exhibition, he revisits his 40-year archive, fragmented into elaborated frames that open doors for new readings
By Osman Can Yerebakan Published
-
Frieze LA 2024 guide: the art, gossip and buzz
Our Frieze LA 2024 guide includes everything you need to know and see in and around the fair
By Renée Reizman Published
-
New York artist Christopher Astley showcases an alternative natural world
At Martos Gallery in New York, Christopher Astley’s paintings evoke an alternative natural world and the chaos of warfare (until 16 March 2024)
By Tianna Williams Published