Jeppe Hein
Why are you here and not somewhere else
2004
neon tubes, transformers
8 x 266 x 3 cm—
The work is a neon text with the message “Why are you here and not
somewhere else” written in almost handwriting style, giving the question
posed a certain intimacy. The work relates to the discourse of
questioning the art public and the act of looking at artworks. In doing so,
it uses the informal form “You” as well as the loudest of all signage
materials, neon tubes, hence contradicting the implied intimacy also in
the formal execution of the work.