April 26 - May 31, 2025
303 GALLERY, New York, USA
Photos: Justin Craun
A central motif in Jeppe Hein’s recent work, the balloon—light, joyful, and impermanent— transforms while taking on new meaning. Chrome-surfaced sculptures, mimicking the look of shaped mylar balloons, appear to float toward the ceiling, just out of reach. In the guise of various marine creatures, they float between undulating blue fabric waves spanning the gallery. Amongst these shimmering forms, a starfish, butterfly fish, a seahorse, and even a rabbit invite viewers to gaze skyward. Resembling passing clouds, they dissolve the boundaries between sky and sea, while reminding us not to hold on too tightly to expectations. At the same time, their reflective finish lends an aura of fragility and preciousness, speaking to the delicate balance between humanity and the natural world.
Floating, mirrored balloon letters glisten in a blue-to-silver gradient, spelling out a semi-submerged message across the wall: EXPECT A MIRACLE. Scaled as if to address the entire room at once, the installation urges collective contemplation of the beauty in every living creature, every ocean wave. As viewers circumnavigate the exhibition, Hein’s words continue to resonate, inverting the notion of the miraculous as something impossible or uncommon; the natural world is proof enough.
