Artists

Helena Hugo has been a full-time artist since graduating from the University of Pretoria in 1996. She focuses on pastel drawings, but her mediums also include oils, fibre arts and occasional experiments with photography. Her highly finished, detailed, expressions of people are mostly depictions of South African and migrant hand labourers. Her fibre artworks are most often made from reappropriated clothing previously worn and owned by South African and migrant labourers. Although her past thematic content has always been centred around ‘work’ as an important element of our physical survival and psychological well being, it also had an underlying investigative probing into our universal human condition, our transient, fragile nature and the cycle of birth, death and resurrection. Recently she began to explore our fear of death, of disappearing or of lacking significance and how it sometimes manifests in destructive behaviour towards other humans as well as towards animals and nature. Currently she is working on a body of work exploring the ambiguous and changeable nature of power. She has exhibited her work widely in South Africa, in London, Holland, France, America and China. Art works have been bought by corporate collectors like Standard Chartered Bank, London, The University of Johannesburg, The Johannesburg Eye Hospital, Vulisango Holdings, The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, Ukwazi Mining Industry Consultants, UNISA, William Humphreys gallery, The National Museum of China as well as private collectors around the world.

“Women are traditionally viewed as protectors of children and caregivers to those weaker than themselves. In Greek Mythology, Gaia has the more portentous role of personifying earth itself, the giver of all life. In this portrait, seemingly soft and gentle “woman” is subtly portrayed as able protector of self, other women and even of man – not just the boy child, but the grown man, having in her the power to aid him emotionally, but also physically if needed. She has self-reliance and wisdom, not only intuitive spiritual wisdom, but also intellect and logic.”