Artist Database

Helen Teede was born in 1989 in Harare, Zimbabwe. She earned her Master’s in Visual Art at IUAV University of Venice, Italy, in 2020, following her BA in Fine Art from the University of Cape Town’s Michaelis School of Fine Art in 2012 and a BA Honours in English from the same institution the subsequent year. Teede's artistic practice explores belonging and accountability through a decolonial lens. Living between Africa and Europe, she reflects on how this duality influences her creative process, bridging historical and ecological divides. Her paintings present mythological and taboo figures that embody both fragility and hope, reflecting on personal and collective experiences.

Recently, Teede was among the inaugural group to receive the Tracey Emin Artist Residency in Margate, England, running from March 2023 to September 2024. Since 2008, Teede has exhibited widely, showcasing her work at prominent venues such as the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town and First Floor Gallery in Harare, as well as in the UAE, Italy, France, Israel, Belgium, the USA, China, Switzerland, and Denmark.