HELEN CHADWICK
Detail from “In the Kitchen (Washing Machine)”, 1977
British artist Helen Chadwick’s work shocked and provoked the art world through the late 1980’s into the 1990’s. Her work often subverted beauty, intertwining grotesque bodily elements to traditionally beautiful forms with a tongue and cheek attitude. Like in “Piss Flowers” (1991-1992), a grouping of several floral sculptures with mounds formed in the center that were created from casts of her and her partner’s urine streams into snow.
“Piss Flowers”, 1991-1992
Born in 1953, Chadwick studied at Brighton Polytechnic and then received her MFA from Chelsea College of Art. She then quickly rose to prominence from work like “The Kitchen”, a series of photographs of herself dressed in costumes of various kitchen appliances. She used her wit and talent to deconstruct ideas of sex and gender, dialing up the inherent absurdity of modern constructed gender roles as a means to dismantle them. Her work was recognized when she was one of the first women to be nominated for the Turner Prize in 1987, and later a solo exhibition at the MoMA in 1995.
She was prolific throughout her career, creating many bodies of work before her life was cut short from a heart attack at the age of 42. Despite her impact on art history she has been largely forgotten outside of Britain. Her influence expanded outside of the art she made as she was also a devoted teacher, lecturing at institutions like The Royal College of Art in the early 90’s and mentoring some of the biggest names to come from the Young British Artists movement. Her philosophies can be seen clearly in the works of artists like Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst, whose most recognized pieces often have similar confrontational bodily elements interwoven with beauty.
Currently, many pieces of Chadwick’s are on view at The Hepworth Wakefield in West Yorkshire, UK. "Helen Chadwick: Life's Pleasures" features a retrospective of Chadwick's provocative sculptures and photographs that explored the beautifully grotesque from a feminist perspective. The exhibition is on view until October 27, 2025 and will have an accompany book published by Thames & Hudson under the same title that can be preordered now, to be released on July 1st, 2025.
Images courtesy of Richard Soultan, © The Estate of Helen Chadwick