Hans Hemmert was raised in the Bavarian countryside, and as a child, he was captivated by the idea of working with his hands, though it was not until he begun his studies in Philosophy in 1981 that he realised that his calling was in art. He joined the Akademie der Künste to study sculpture before relocating to London to enrol at the then Saint Martin’s School of Art. Hemmert was influenced profoundly by English sculpture throughout his studies in his hometown as well as in London. He studied under Anthony Caro, whose steel sculptures grew popular during the 60’s.
Initially, Hemmert worked exclusively with steel but soon became interested in working with air, drawn to its lightweight and inexpensive nature. His first projects with air took the form of artworks made with inflatable objects such as rubber pool items and children’s toys. Soon after, Hemmert decided to create these objects himself instead of relying on ready-made items. Today, the artist creates his own latex balloons having researched unique development techniques in his Berlin studio.
As well as practicing independently, Hemmert is also part of German art collective Inges Idee, formed in 1992 and composed of Hemmert, Axel Lieber, Thomas Schmidt, and George Zey; the group work collaboratively on art projects in public spaces.