Emma Helle: Kamara

Emma Helle is a sculptor whose practice explores the question of representation: whose stories are granted visibility? Drawing on art history, northern folklore, and ancient myth, her sculptures propose alternative narratives and ways of seeing. Their surfaces range from rough to smooth, some covered in richly colored glazes while others remain unglazed bisque. Characterized by voluptuous forms and theatrical presence, her relaxed yet exuberant visual language echoes canonical works of art history. Across different eras, representations of the human figure have been shaped by persistent conventions – a legacy that Helle critically examines by challenging binary understandings of the body.

In this exhibition, Helle's expansive visual vocabulary brings together references ranging from the Venus of Willendorf to figures drawn from Finnish mythology. She molds clay into generous bodies that revel in their own abundance, their sensuality amplified by the presence of vegetation and aquatic elements such as fountains. In her sculptures, corporeality and mythology intersect with geological time: frogs and forest spirits carry their own meanings and realities, while the surface of the human body is imagined as an extension of the Earth’s crust.

Humankind lived in harmony with other forms of life on planet Earth for tens of thousands of years. Ancient images and myths, preserved and transformed through oral tradition, offer contemporary artists a means of reconnecting with prehistoric ways of imagining the world. Material itself carries this deep temporal dimension. Primary clay is formed from weathered rock hundreds of millions of years old. In Finland, it can be found close to the Earth’s surface in Kainuu. By working with this ancient material and employing wood-firing techniques that predate recorded history, Helle engages in a process that bridges past and present. Through the tactile act of making, the contemporary body enters into dialogue with the bodies of ancient image-makers, allowing new images to emerge from an enduring material continuum. 

Emma Helle (b. 1979) graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts at the University of the Arts Helsinki in 2007. She has presented numerous solo and group exhibitions in Finland and internationally, at venues including the Turku Art Museum, Malva Museum of Visual Arts in Lahti, and the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm. Her works are represented in several private and public collections, including the Finnish National Gallery, HAM Helsinki Art Museum, Sara Hildén Art Museum, Saastamoinen Foundation, Pro Artibus Foundation, and Turku Art Museum.