ARCH is pleased to announce the exhibition Exploding Plastic Inevitable by Lena Henke.
Lena Henke tests the possibilities of sculpture through technically innovative methods of production, expanding its traditional meaning by confronting themes of femaleness and the production of power relations in urban space. The capacities of sculpture serve Henke as a basis for understanding the molding (and casting) of bodies as a changeable process of design. In series like Hooves, Boobs, and Sand Bodies, Henke blends mimetic forms with surrealist imagery, engaging the myth of masculinity while working within historical traditions to interrogate the logic of sculptural representation and representability. Her interventions in the psychology of existing urban structures— such as relocating exhibition entrances or altering street signage—allow her to grasp urbanity as a historically evolved sculpture. By weaving feminist and autobiographical threads into her work, Henke opens a compelling space where sculpture meets social critique, reimagining both form and environment.
In 2025, Lena Henke will present solo exhibitions at Galerie Thomas Schulte during Gallery Weekend Berlin, followed by a spring season show in New York City at Bortolami Gallery, before mounting a summer exhibition at ARCH, Athens—coinciding with Art Basel.
Henke has exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, USA (2018); Hessel Museum of Art, New York, USA (2018); Kunstmuseum Luzern, Switzerland (2018); Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt, Germany (2017); Sprengelmuseum Hannover, Germany (2017); Museum of Contemporary Art, Detroit, USA (2017); Timisoara Contemporary Art Biennale, Romania (2017); Manifesta 11, Zurich, Switzerland (2016); The 9th; Berlin Biennale, Germany (2016); La Biennale de Montréal, Canada (2016); Kunstverein Braunschweig, Germany (2016); Triennale of Small Scale Sculpture, Fellbach, Germany (2016); S.A.L.T.S., Basel, Switzerland (2016); The New Museum, New York, USA (2015); Socrates Sculpture Park, New York, USA (2015); Kunsthalle Bern, Switzerland (2014); Kuenstlerhaus Graz, Austria (2014); White Flag Projects, St. Louis, USA (2014); Sculpture Museum Glaskasten, Marl, Germany (2014); Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, USA (2013) and Kunstverein Aachen, Germany (2012), among others.
Henke is the recipient of several prestigious awards and grants including the Marta Herford Award (2022) of the Wemhöner Foundation, the 8th RUBENSFÖRDERPREIS of the city of Siegen, Germany in cooperation with the Museum für Gegenwartskunst Siegen and a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant (both 2019). In 2024 she was named artist honoree of the year by the arts organization Topical Cream, New York.
Her work has been discussed in numerous publications including Artforum, Frieze, Art in America, The New York Times, Artnews and Spike magazine, in addition to several exhibition catalogues.
Lena Henke: Exploding Plastic Inevitable
Jun 5 – Sep 13, 2025
ARCH
Athens, Greece
