Everything Enthralling is Johanna Helmuth’s second solo exhibition with the Gallery. The exhibition is a major departure point in Helmuth’s figurative practice, which often depicted the underlying violence and societal issues plaguing society. In this oeuvre, the insidious grins and silent yells of pain and agony of her characters have been replaced with smiles and wonderment in Helmuth’s latest exploration of the other side of the human condition.
In paintings such as “A portrait of my mother with her best friend” and “At a park in Baguio City”, Helmuth handpicked instances of unbridled joy – no matter how fleeting – from her surroundings and immortalised them on canvases. Known for her textured paintings through a vigorous application of oil paint using palette knives, Helmuth creates fearless and highly gestural strokes, accentuated by her selection of earthy tones and muted hues.
Everything Enthralling is a fresh leap from the artist’s quintessential tableaux of images. Finding a new vantage point from her new studio in San Juan, Manila, Helmuth has found an irreplaceable value of busking in the present, alongside the darker yet universal experiences of being human.
Venue: Yavuz Gallery, Gillman Barracks, 9 Lock Road, #02-23, Singapore 108937
When: 11 Jun - 9 Jul 2022,
By: Ames Yavuz
