Come, Helga (2006)
Rebecca Warren
Warren’s unfired clay forms question the sculptural traditions that surround the use of materials. They also challenge accepted norms of the ideal figure. Gouged and kneaded, lumpy and messy, her work is both playful
and expressive. Come, Helga shows two female figures standing side-by-side. Making reference to a range of sources, from Edgar Degas’s ballerinas to fashion photographers and cartoonists, the exaggerated proportions of their bodies invoke clichés of the sexualised representation of women. However, the confrontational pose of the women is aggressive and confident, complicating the way in which the work could be understood.
[Tate Britain]
Come, Helga (2006)
Rebecca Warren
Warren’s unfired clay forms question the sculptural traditions that surround the use of materials. They also challenge accepted norms of the ideal figure. Gouged and kneaded, lumpy and messy, her work is both playful
and expressive. Come, Helga shows two female figures standing side-by-side. Making reference to a range of sources, from Edgar Degas’s ballerinas to fashion photographers and cartoonists, the exaggerated proportions of their bodies invoke clichés of the sexualised representation of women. However, the confrontational pose of the women is aggressive and confident, complicating the way in which the work could be understood.
[Tate Britain]