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Mercedes Helnwein

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Mercedes Helnwein (born November 12, 1979) is an artist, writer and filmmaker.[1] She was born in Vienna, Austria and primarily lives and works in Los Angeles.[2][3]

Early life

Helnwein was born in Vienna, Austria.[1] Her father is Austro-Irish artist Gottfried Helnwein.[4][5] She and her brothers, Cyril, Ali, and Wolfgang Amadeus, often modeled for their father's work as children,[6] whose works often included nightmarish depictions of war and exploitation.[7] As children, Mercedes and her siblings were given the freedom to express themselves, and she developed a style distinctively hers.[7]

Art

Helnwein has no formal art training,[8] but, growing up, interacted with art figured such as Andy Warhol and Keith Haring through her father's connections.[1] She creates large-scale drawings, most of which are done with black pencil, colored pencils, or pastels.[8] Helnwein's art debuted in 2000,[7] with one of her first group exhibitions curated in Downtown Los Angeles by actor Jason Lee.[9] In 2007 Helnwein's New York solo exhibition debut, Untitled (Self-Portrait With Ribbon) at Bespoke Gallery.[10] Rachel Wolff, writing for Vulture, suggested Helnwein's "immaculately executed drawings play out like dramatically lit, attractively cast indie flicks."[10]

Helnwein has exhibited over ten solo exhibits and over a dozen group exhibits.[2] In 2005, Damien Hirst acquired Helnwein's collections "East of Eden," "Strange Days," and "Whistling Past the Graveyard" which were then presented at A Gallery in London.[9][11] Helnwein's "Temptation to be Good," a series of drawings in oil pastels, was exhibited at the Merry Karnowsky Gallery in 2010,[11] and in 2012, Helnwein's work was again shown at Merry Karnowsky Gallery in her solo show, "Make It Dark."[9]

Helnwein also contributed art for stickers included in Beck's 2006 album, The Information.[12]

Writing

In 2004, Helnwein's travelogue, "Devil Got Religion," covered the 15-day road trip with Alex Prager and Beth Riesgraf for their "America Motel" installation.[4] In 2008 her debut novel, The Potential Hazards of Hester Day, was published by Simon & Schuster.[13]

Discussing her 2021 novel, Slingshot, Helnwein says, "The secrets of suburbia, the surface fakeness, have always been interesting to me."[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Mercedes Helnwein". Gale Literature: Contemporary Authors. Contemporary Authors. Gale. 2009 – via Gale Literature Resource Center.
  2. ^ a b Gelt, Jessica (October 16, 2011). "The Helnwein siblings' artful life in L.A.". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  3. ^ "Mercedes Helnwein: Temptation to be Good". Juxtapoz. December 30, 2013. Archived from the original on May 28, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Gelt, Jessica (April 8, 2004). "Rooms with a view of America's heartland". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  5. ^ Haramis, Nick (November 13, 2007). "The New Literary Enfant Terrible: Mercedes Helnwein". BlackBook. Archived from the original on February 9, 2011. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
  6. ^ Haramis, Nicholas (December 7, 2014). "The Helnweins Will See You Now". The New York Times Magazine. pp. 146, 148, 150. ISSN 0028-7822. ProQuest 1634180871.
  7. ^ a b c d Lynch, Dónal (October 29, 2021). "Mercedes Helnwein: 'It almost feels like walking into a painting. It's mind-blowingly beautiful and it will always be home'". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Parentela, Claudio (June 15, 2007). "Interview with Mercedes Helnwein". The Extra Finger. Archived from the original on December 19, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c Dugas, Keith (November 20, 2012). "People Are Strange: Mercedes Helnwein's 'Make It Dark' at Merry Karnowsky Gallery". Cartwheel Art. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Wolff, Rachel (July 3, 2007). "Making Cindy Sherman Proud". Vulture. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Seidler, Heather (June 21, 2011). "Ladygunn Surprise Issue: Mercedes Helnwein". Ladygunn. Archived from the original on May 25, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  12. ^ "Beck - The Information - Project Notes - Project Credits - Sticker Images". bigactive.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2009.
  13. ^ "The Potential Hazards of Hester Day by Mercedes Helnwein". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
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