Mercedes Helnwein

No Way Home: Mercedes Helnwein

Since 2003, Mercedes Helnwein, born in Vienna, and based in Los Angeles and Ireland, has been working her way through the L. A. art scene, inspiring a strong following and positive critical reception. No Way Home spans seven years of her visual imagery in pastels, paint, pencil and film stills and includes photographs of the artist in her studio. Inspired at an early age by the Blues, Helnweins portraits, primarily of women, exude a southern gothic melancholy, and according to the artist, contrast the idyllic with the darkness that is present in much of American culture. Her drawings in pencil play on the fine art technique of chiaroscuro, the contrast of light and dark. Helnweins female protagonists are imperfect, arresting, beautiful and mysterious women fitted in retro attire, a reference to the women of 1950s and 60s America. No Way Home explores the wide range of Helnweins exceptional work, as well as examples of her work with other artists such as Orla Kiely and Alex Prager. The title takes her work beyond the galleries of L. A. and makes it accessible it to a larger audience.