Jeppe Hein, invited artist at the main exhibition of the 58th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, presents a suite of four sculptural works, under the common title Modified Social Bench for Venice.
The bench designs borrow their basic form from the ubiquitous park bench, but are altered to various degrees to make the act of sitting a conscious physical endeavor. With their modifications, the brilliant turquoise benches transform their surroundings into places of activity and socialization, rather than conditioned sitting in solitude. Somewhere between whimsical objects and functional furniture, Hein's works demonstrate the contradiction between artwork and utility.
