Helen Bur (b.1990) is a British artist, currently based in Cornwall.

Using traditionally influenced techniques in figuration, she moves between Oil on canvas and emulsion on wall. Painted figures are captured in moments of quiet action or frozen in the midst of a curious happening, concerned, uncanny. Imbued with a sense of surreal, the works engender the feeling of something rather than explicitly outlining what it is. Sensitive and poetic narratives are used as tools to dissect and discuss experiences, where the personal often becomes global. The lack of information or clarity present in the work imitates the wide spread mood of absurdity in the everyday and in our wider existence.

Helen’s work can be found on walls across the globe from Brazil to India to the USA & Europe where she has participated in various notable projects and festivals. She has had solo exhibitions in the UK and Spain, has been part of group exhibitions worldwide. She co-directed the ‘Empty Walls’ street art festival for 2 years in the UK alongside running ‘The Abacus’ a multifunctional creative art space in the centre of Cardiff, noting the important role active community engagement continually plays in her work. She now works with the internationally based arts collective Void Projects, coordinating and collaborating on projects worldwide as well as more locally with FOUR_ Collective in London.

EDUCATION

2011-2014 - BA (hons) Fine Art, Cardiff School of Art, UK
2009/2010 - Foundation Diploma Art and Design, Brighton City College, UK

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2022 - Feet on The Ground, La Causa Galeria, Madrid, Spain 2021 - Silent Shout, Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
2018 - Laugh At The Odds, La Causa Galeria, Madrid, Spain 2018 - Liminal, 1963 Gallery, London UK
2015 - Smoke Without Fire, The Abacus Gallery, Cardiff, UK

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2023 - 10 year anniversary | Out in the Open, KIRK Gallery, Aalborg, Denmark
2022 - UrbanArt Biennale, Völklinger Hütte, Germany
2021 - At the Edge of Realism, Kirk Gallery, Aalborg, Denmark
2020 - La Causa Galeria, Urbanity Art Fair, Madrid, Spain
2019 - Homeless Artist Residency Exhibition, Void Projects, Miami, USA 2019 - Money Talks, Saatchi Gallery, London UK
2019 - Alchemy, Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
2019 - La Causa Galeria, District 13 Art Fair, Paris, France
2019 - Tapia, B-Murals Centre d’Art Urba, Barcelona, Spain
2019 - ThinkSpace Gallery, SCOPE art fair, Miami, USA
2019 - LAX/ ORD, Vertical gallery, Chicago USA
2019 - Thinkspace Gallery, Moniker Art Fair, London, UK
2019 - Aletheia, Mirus Gallery, Denver USA
2019 - PDP Gallery at the Urban Art Fair, Paris, France
2019 - Muros De Europa, Institute Francais Madrid, Spain
2018 - ThinkSpace Gallery, SCOPE art fair, Miami, USA
2018 - Outside In, Nuart festival at Skur 2, Stavanger, Norway
2018 - IBUG Festival, Chemnitz, Germany
2018 - Craze, Art No Cube, Los Angeles, USA
2017 - Past Present Future, 1963 Gallery at Swordtail Studios, London, UK
2017 - What The Weekend Is 2, Berlin, Germany
2017 - Sub Streets, São Paulo, Brazil
2015 - Look, No Hands!, The Abacus, Cardiff, UK
2015 - Empty Walls Exhibition, The Abacus, Cardiff, UK
2014 – Solve et Coagula, The Abacus, Cardiff, UK
2014 - You Are Not Alone, The Gallery, Stoke Newington, London, UK
2014 - Trash, Rich Mix Studios, London, UK
2012 – Birth to Death & Hereafter, Capitol Center, Cardiff, UK
2012 – A Sharp Eye to an Open Eye, The Lloyd Gill Gallery, Western Super-mare, UK 2012 – Perils of the Modern Alchemists, Capitol Center, Cardiff, UK
2011 – In Limbo, Urban Outfitters, Cardiff, UK
2011 – Minestrone, The Guildhall, Chichester, UK
2010 – Fated Fourteen, Art Maze, I Am Joy Festival, Chichester, UK
2007 - The National Open Art Competition, Chichester, UK

SELECTED MURALS

May 2022 - Kirk Gallery, Aalborg, Denmark
October 2021 - Charline, Normandy, France
September 2021 - TRUSt Project, Taranto, Italy
September 2021 - Artscape Festival, Malmo, Sweden
August 2021 - Douce Vie, Hyuro Memorial collaboration with Faith 47, Angers, France July 2021 - NUart Aberdeen, Scotland
July 2021 - Our Towns, Basildon, UK
June 2021 - BANK! Festival, Vastervig, Sweden
June 2021 - Les Nouveaux Atelier, Port du Bouc, France
May 2021 - Urvanity, Madrid, Spain
October 2020 - Arno Portrait Commission, Ostend, Belgium
September 2020 - Change, Mural Fest Kosovo, Ferizaj, Kosovo September 2020 - Gulia Urbana, Parenti, Calabria, Italy,
August 2020 - Fuzunchar, Figueiró dos Vinhos, Portugal
November 2019 - Wake Up / Centre Donna Lilith, Latina, Italy
September 2019 - Teenage Kicks Festival, Rennes, France
August 2019 - Artscape Festival, Ljusdal, Sweden
July 2019 - Beyond Walls Festival, Lynn, MA, USA
July 2019 - Stand Together, Cabot Theatre commission, Beverly, MA, USA June 2019 - Shangrilart, Glastonbury Festival, London UK
June 2019 - Kaleidascope Festival, Torhout, Belgium
May 2019 - Beryl Swain, Wood Street Walls Project, London, UK
April 2019 - NUart Festival, Aberdeen, Scotland
April 2019 - The Crystal Ship, Oostende, Belgium
March 2019 - Invasion Festival, Plasencia, Spain
January 2019 - Muros De Europa, Institute Francais Madrid, Spain September 2018 - UPEart Festival, Kotka, Finland
September 2018 - Nuart Festival, Stavanger, Norway Aug/Sept 2018 - Autra Caussa, Swizerland
August 2018 - Beyond Walls Festival, Lynn, MA, USA August 2018 - IBUG festival, Chemnitz, Germany
July 2018 - Urban Vision Festival, Acquapendente, Italy June 2018 - KUFA’s Urban Art, Esch, Luxembourg
April 2018 - Funmilayo Kuti, Dakar, Senegal, Africa
Jan / Feb 2018 - St+art India, Mumbai & Mokokchung
September 2017 - Asalto Festival, Zaragoza, Spain
September 2017 - Stilbruch Festival, Berlin, Germany
August 2017 - Ibug Festival, Chemnitz, Germany
July 2017 - Global Street Art, Shoreditch London
March 2017 - Tempelhof Feld, Berlin, Germany
November 2016 - Lync Cymru commission, Cardiff city centre, Wales
August 2016 - IBUG festival, Limbach-Oberfrohna, Saxony, Germany
May 2016 - AIC | Academia Internacional de Cinema, São Paulo, Brazil
March 2016 - Women of the World Festival, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff
August 2015 - Westend Walls, Vesterbro, Copenhagen
June 2015 - Northcote Lane, Cardiff Council commission, Cardiff
September 2014 - Empty Walls Street Art Festival, Cardiff
August 2013 - Green Man Festival Mural, Abergavenny
April 2013 - Jeremy Deller - The life and times of Adrian Street, Photo Diffusion festival, Cardiff March 2012 – Art-el Gallery, Art space Life Space, Bristol

RESIDENCIES

November - December 2019 - Void Projects ‘Homeless’, Miami, USA October 2018 - La Causa Galeria Residency, Madrid, Spain
April 2018 - I BE LADY O, Dakar, Senegal, Africa
December - March 2017/18 - Aamir Art House Residency, Panjim, India

AWARDS

2020 - Arts Council Project Grant
2014 – Saatchi 2014 New Sensations Prize
2013 – Helen Gregory Memorial Trust Travel Award
2011 – Cardiff School of Art and Design Scholarship
2007- Highly Commended, The National Open Art Competition

PROJECTS / CURATION / WORKSHOPS

July 2021 - Mural Painting workshop, WOODS / FOUR_collective
July 2021 - WOODS, project curation, FOUR_collective
September 2020, Painting Workshop / Void Projects x Mural Fest Kosovo, Ferizaj, Kosovo 2020 - Present - Collaborator in FOUR_collective arts collective
2019 - Present - Collaborator in Void Projects arts collective
August 2019 - Mural workshop, Tottenham Pavilion, London
February 2019 - Street Art workshop with Paint the Change, Spotlight Youth Centre, London May 2016 - Mural Workshop at Portchester Community School, Portchester
October 2015 - Project Coordinator for The Caravan Gallery’s Pride of Place Project, Cardiff 2013 - 2015 - Co-Director of Empty Walls Street Art Festival, Cardiff
2014 - 2015 - Co-Director of The Abacus gallery, studios and event space, Cardiff