{{short description|Norwegian contemporary artist}} {{Infobox artist | name = Jan Hakon Erichsen | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1978|6|23}} | alma_mater = Oslo Academy of Fine Arts<ref name=":2"/> | website = janhakon.com }}
'''Jan Hakon Erichsen''' (born June 23, 1978) is a Norwegian contemporary artist. He is known for his short "destruction videos", often featuring balloons being popped.
== Work == Erichsen has become well known for his "destruction videos", which he began making in late 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|title=This Artist's Balloon Popping Instagram Videos are Surprisingly Satisfying|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/artist-jan-hakon-erichsen-explains-his-balloon-poppingpasta-breaking-instagram-videos/|access-date=2020-08-08|website=Vice.com|date=6 February 2019 |language=en}}</ref> Now, he typically posts one video a day on Instagram.<ref name="Feldman">{{Cite web|last=Feldman|first=Brian|date=2019-08-13|title=A Brief Chat With Jan Hakon Erichsen, the Twitter Balloon Guy|url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/08/jan-hakon-erichsen-the-twitter-video-star-popping-balloons.html|access-date=2020-08-08|website=Intelligencer|language=en-us}}</ref> The videos most commonly depict elaborate methods of popping balloons, but other recurring themes include crushing dry pasta and taco shells, destroying household items, and wearing bizarre "hats" made from food.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Mann|first=Keith|date=2019-08-13|title=Jan Hakon Erichsen: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know|url=https://heavy.com/news/2019/08/jan-hakon-erichsen/|access-date=2020-08-08|website=Heavy.com|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Carney|first=Sean J. Patrick|date=2019-10-30|title=Avant-Garde Populism: How Odd Stunts Made Jan Hakon Erichsen Instagram Famous|url=https://www.artnews.com/art-in-america/features/jan-erichsen-balloon-destroyer-art-instagram-famous-60217/|access-date=2020-08-08|website=ARTnews.com|language=en-US}}</ref> Items often used in the videos include balloons, dry pasta, bananas, cacti, and knives, of which Erichsen has said he owns "somewhere between 500 and 1000".<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=The Guy Who Makes Videos Popping Balloons With A Bunch Of Knives Explained His Creative Process|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/juliareinstein/balloon-knife-art-videos-jan-hakon-erichsen|access-date=2020-08-08|website=BuzzFeed News|date=12 August 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Feldman"/>
Erichsen's influences include Chris Burden, 1960s and 1970s performance art, punk rock, and horror films.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Nikolov|first=Nikolay|title=From popping balloons with knives to destroying food with his face, he's the ideal quarantine companion|url=https://mashable.com/video/jan-hakon-erichsen-ballon-destroying-artist/|access-date=2020-08-08|website=Mashable|date=16 April 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2" />
In 2019, a 2-minute compilation of Erichsen's balloon popping videos went viral on Twitter, accumulating 9.5 million views in 24 hours and hundreds of thousands of likes and reetweets.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Mann|first=Keith|date=2019-08-13|title=WATCH: Viral Video of A Man Popping Balloons in the Most Dangerous Ways|url=https://heavy.com/news/2019/08/viral-video-man-popping-balloons/|access-date=2020-08-08|website=Heavy.com|language=en-US}}</ref> He was nominated for a Shorty Award in 2020, in the category of "Best in Weird".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Perelli|first=Amanda|title=Exclusive: The full list of nominees for the Shorty Awards, including Jeffree Star, Sophie Turner, and Baby Yoda Sipping Tea|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/nominees-for-the-2020-shorty-awards-social-media-influencer-list-2020-1|access-date=2020-08-08|website=Business Insider}}</ref>
== Personal life == Erichsen lives in Oslo with his girlfriend and two teenage children.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Bellah|first=Andrew|date=2019-01-20|title=Interview with Jan Hakon Erichsen, Norwegian Artist|url=https://thepolitic.org/interview-with-jan-hakon-erichsen-norwegian-artist/|access-date=2020-08-08|website=The Politic|language=en-US}}</ref> While working out in April 2020, Erichsen fell on a "knife sculpture" he had built for a video, requiring 25 stitches and multiple trips to the hospital.<ref>{{Cite web|title=That Guy Who Went Viral For Popping Balloons With Knives Just Had A Bad Accident|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emmanuelfelton/knife-balloon-guy-injured|access-date=2020-08-08|website=BuzzFeed News|date=2 April 2020 |language=en}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [http://www.janhakon.com/ Official website] * [https://www.instagram.com/janerichsen/ Instagram]
{{Authority control (arts)}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Erichsen, Jan Hakon}} Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:Norwegian video artists Category:Norwegian contemporary artists