Helen Bur (b.1990) is a British artist, currently based in Cornwall.
With inspiration from traditional techniques within figurative art, Helen works with both her own images and the ever-growing image world to pay tribute to painting's role and ability to convey the social narrative of our time. With expressionistic brushstrokes and putty, she mixes the abstract with the photorealistic.
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 widespread mood of absurdity in the everyday and in our wider existence.
We are invited to stop, take a quiet break, and immerse ourselves in the subtle nuances of movement that take place on Helen's canvases.
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 center 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
2024
Exhale, KIRK Gallery, Aalborg, Danmark
2022
Feet on The Ground, La Causa Galeria, Madrid, Spanien
2021
Silent Shout, Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
2018
Laugh At The Odds, La Causa Galeria, Madrid, Spanien
Liminal, 1963 Gallery, London, UK
2015
Smoke Without Fire, The Abacus Gallery, Cardiff, UK
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023
Out in the Open, KIRK Gallery, Aalborg, Danmark
2022
UrbanArt Biennale, Völklinger Hütte, Tyskland
2021
At the Edge of Realism, Kirk Gallery, Aalborg, Danmark
2020
La Causa Galeria, Urbanity Art Fair, Madrid, Spanien
2019
Homeless Artist Residency Exhibition, Void Projects, Miami, USA 2019 – Money Talks, Saatchi Gallery, London UK
Alchemy, Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
La Causa Galeria, District 13 Art Fair, Paris, Frankrig
Tapia, B-Murals Centre d’Art Urba, Barcelona, Spanien
ThinkSpace Gallery, SCOPE art fair, Miami, USA
LAX/ ORD, Vertical gallery, Chicago USA
Thinkspace Gallery, Moniker Art Fair, London, UK
Aletheia, Mirus Gallery, Denver USA
PDP Gallery at the Urban Art Fair, Paris, Frankrig
Muros De Europa, Institute Francais Madrid, Spanien
2018
ThinkSpace Gallery, SCOPE art fair, Miami, USA
Outside In, Nuart festival at Skur 2, Stavanger, Norge
IBUG Festival, Chemnitz, Tyskland
Craze, Art No Cube, Los Angeles, USA
2017
Past Present Future, 1963 Gallery at Swordtail Studios, London, UK
What The Weekend Is 2, Berlin, Tyskland
Sub Streets, São Paulo, Brazilien
2015
Look, No Hands!, The Abacus, Cardiff, UK
Empty Walls Exhibition, The Abacus, Cardiff, UK
2014
Solve et Coagula, The Abacus, Cardiff, UK
You Are Not Alone, The Gallery, Stoke Newington, London, UK
Trash, Rich Mix Studios, London, UK
2012
Birth to Death & Hereafter, Capitol Center, Cardiff, UK
A Sharp Eye to an Open Eye, The Lloyd Gill Gallery, Western Super-mare, UK
Perils of the Modern Alchemists, Capitol Center, Cardiff, UK
2011
In Limbo, Urban Outfitters, Cardiff, UK
Minestrone, The Guildhall, Chichester, UK
2010
Fated Fourteen, Art Maze, I Am Joy Festival, Chichester, UK
2007
The National Open Art Competition, Chichester, UK
UDVALGTE GAVLMALERIER
2022
Kirk Gallery, Aalborg, Danmark
2021
Charline, Normandy, Frankrig
TRUSt Project, Taranto, Italien
Artscape Festival, Malmo, Sverige
Douce Vie, Hyuro Memorial collaboration with Faith 47, Angers, Frankrig
NUart Aberdeen, Scotland
Our Towns, Basildon, UK
BANK! Festival, Vastervig, Sverige
Les Nouveaux Atelier, Port du Bouc, Frankrig
Urvanity, Madrid, Spain
2020
Arno Portrait Commission, Ostend, Belgien
Change, Mural Fest Kosovo, Ferizaj, Kosovo
Gulia Urbana, Parenti, Calabria, Italien
Fuzunchar, Figueiró dos Vinhos, Portugal
2019
Wake Up / Centre Donna Lilith, Latina, Italien
Teenage Kicks Festival, Rennes, Frankrig
Artscape Festival, Ljusdal, Sverige
Beyond Walls Festival, Lynn, MA, USA
Stand Together, Cabot Theatre commission, Beverly, MA, USA
Shangrilart, Glastonbury Festival, London UK
Kaleidascope Festival, Torhout, Belgien
Beryl Swain, Wood Street Walls Project, London, UK
NUart Festival, Aberdeen, Scotland
The Crystal Ship, Oostende, Belgien
Invasion Festival, Plasencia, Spanien
Muros De Europa, Institute Francais Madrid, Spanien
2018
UPEart Festival, Kotka, Finland
Nuart Festival, Stavanger, Norge
Autra Caussa, Schweiz
Beyond Walls Festival, Lynn, MA, USA
IBUG festival, Chemnitz, Tyskland
Urban Vision Festival, Acquapendente, Italien
KUFA’s Urban Art, Esch, Luxembourg
Funmilayo Kuti, Dakar, Senegal, Afrika
St+art India, Mumbai & Mokokchung, Indien
2017
Asalto Festival, Zaragoza, Spanien
Stilbruch Festival, Berlin, Tyskland
Ibug Festival, Chemnitz, Tyskland
Global Street Art, Shoreditch London, England
Tempelhof Feld, Berlin, Tyskland
2016
Lync Cymru commission, Cardiff city centre, Wales
IBUG festival, Limbach-Oberfrohna, Saxony, Tyskalnd
AIC | Academia Internacional de Cinema, São Paulo, Brazilien
Women of the World Festival, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff
2015
Westend Walls, Vesterbro, København
Northcote Lane, Cardiff Council commission, Cardiff
Empty Walls Street Art Festival, Cardiff
Green Man Festival Mural, Abergavenny
Jeremy Deller – The life and times of Adrian Street, Photo Diffusion festival, Cardiff
Art-el Gallery, Art space Life Space, Bristol
RESIDENSER
2019
Void Projects ‘Homeless’, Miami, USA
2018
La Causa Galeria Residency, Madrid, Spanien
I BE LADY O, Dakar, Senegal, Afrika
2017/18 – Aamir Art House Residency, Panjim, Indien
PRISER
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
DIVERSE PROJEKTER
2021
Mural Painting workshop, WOODS / FOUR_collective
WOODS, project curation, FOUR_collective
2020
Painting Workshop / Void Projects x Mural Fest Kosovo, Ferizaj, Kosovo
Present – Collaborator in FOUR_collective arts collective
2019
Present – Collaborator in Void Projects arts collective
Mural workshop, Tottenham Pavilion, London
Street Art workshop with Paint the Change, Spotlight Youth Centre, London
2016
Mural Workshop at Portchester Community School, Portchester
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
