Helena Hauss is a 29-year-old French artist who was “bored and raised” in Paris, where she currently resides. While mostly known for her extremely detailed ball-point pen drawings, Hauss has recently branched out into the world of sculptures.
In an interview with Bored Panda, Helena detailed her decision to switch media. “There were some things inside me I wanted to express which I felt I couldn't do with just a drawing, I wanted to go beyond that. I needed to create an actual object that would say it all once you saw it,” she explained. “Something allegoric, a metaphor where people could go, "Here. This is exactly how I've been feeling all this time".
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Artist Helena Hauss created these sculptures as a way to challenge our perception of femininity
She titled her 'porcelain' project 'Hell Hath no Fury'. “It's an approach to represent the inner strength and fury that comes with being a woman, in contrast to an appearance of delicacy we're too often branded with,” the artist elaborated. “Women have repeatedly been construed as the "weaker sex" and are regularly being preyed on or diminished in some way or another,” Hauss continued on the inspiration behind her sculptures. “Too often portrayed as fragile and delicate, this project is an expression of the contrasting subtleties that come with femininity, as well as an attempt at vindication from a feeling of constant vulnerability that's been forced upon us.” The 'ceramic' weapons are a symbol of 'inner strength, fury, and empowerment'.
Even though the sculptures look delicate and bring out the images of precious china sets hidden in a cupboard, they are actually very sturdy. Hauss made polyurethane (a polymer that can be used for sculpting) look like porcelain, a very fragile material. “I wanted something strong that wouldn't break easily, as a metaphor for its subject. Something that would look like Porcelain but actually isn't,” the artist explained.
When asked about the message behind her art, Hauss stated that she doesn’t want to make it political, she wanted her work to be a testimony of her personal feelings. “I think that's when art works best: not with an agenda, but when done with sincerity,” she added. “It's the difference between a song written for the masses and one written from the heart: where the lyrics hit you as something you can really relate to. That's the human experience and in the end, it's much more powerful than any political agenda: because that's when we'll all do better, when we actually truly understand each other”.
“The word perception is the best one you could have used: in the end, that's the real problem, misunderstanding and ignorance,” the artist told Bored Panda. Hauss also stressed that her art is a sincere expression of herself - “We're too often perceived as something we're not, and the best way to change that is to actually show ourselves, make ourselves be seen, be heard”.
As for what’s next in her projects? Helena plans to continue working on art similar to “Hell Hath no Fury”. “I'm currently working on a special piece made all in embroidery, tackling the same kind of idea by using both decorum and cynicism,” she let us have an exclusive glimpse at her next project. “Most of my work explores that similar theme of Irreverence [,] it's all about challenging imposed labels and reveling in one's own identity rather than having to apologize for it.”
