Mercedes Helnwein: CHAOS THEORY
May 26 – August 6, 2017
The Edward Hopper House is pleased to present Chaos Theory, an exhibition featuring the oil pastels of Mercedes Helnwein. With this series of work, Helnwein (b. 1979) seeks to capture “the weight of quiet moments, and the triggers for chaos buried in them… the domestic cosmos and its fallout.” Born in Austria, Helnwein now divides her time between Ireland and Los Angeles. The “American way of life” – seen from a European perspective – plays a big part in her work. She focuses on suburban American adolescence: living rooms, Halloween, prom, family members, and television sets, looking at these scenes of daily life through a “claustrophobic” lens. The stories depicted take on an obsessive quality as she returns to the subjects over and over to capture the accidental emotions that these moments betray. Helnwein will also be showing two films, Cops, and Nurses, which present enigmatic and disquieting scenes of mundane workplace interactions. This exhibition is curated by Carole Perry. A fully illustrated catalogue is available. Click here for catalogue information.
The Edward Hopper House is pleased to present Chaos Theory, an exhibition featuring the oil pastels of Mercedes Helnwein. With this series of work, Helnwein (b. 1979) seeks to capture “the weight of quiet moments, and the triggers for chaos buried in them… the domestic cosmos and its fallout.” Born in Austria, Helnwein now divides her time between Ireland and Los Angeles. The “American way of life” – seen from a European perspective – plays a big part in her work. She focuses on suburban American adolescence: living rooms, Halloween, prom, family members, and television sets, looking at these scenes of daily life through a “claustrophobic” lens. The stories depicted take on an obsessive quality as she returns to the subjects over and over to capture the accidental emotions that these moments betray. Helnwein will also be showing two films, Cops, and Nurses, which present enigmatic and disquieting scenes of mundane workplace interactions. This exhibition is curated by Carole Perry. A fully illustrated catalogue is available. Click here for catalogue information.
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Support for this exhibition has been generously provided by Victoria Hertz and Rod Greenwood. Additional support has been provided by The Time Nyack, and BV’s Grill.
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Credit for all images: Courtesy of the Artist
Credit for all images: Courtesy of the Artist
Mercedes Helnwein, "Halloween III" 2016, Oil pastel on paper, 49 x 63 1/2 in.
Mercedes Helnwein, "Street" 2014, Oil pastel on paper, 49 x 75 in.
Mercedes Helnwein, "Crash" 2015, Oil pastel on paper, 26 x 31 3/4 in.
Mercedes Helnwein, "Parents" 2016, Oil pastel on paper, 27 ¾ x 26 ¼ in.
Mercedes Helnwein, "Toastmasters" 2015, Ink and oil pastel on paper, 17 1/8 x 15 1/4 in.
