Emma Helle at the BOSTON MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

BOSTON MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, USA
Hokusai: Inspiration and Influence
March 26–July 7, 2023

Taking a new approach to the work of the ever-popular Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849), this major exhibition explores in detail his impact on other artists—both during his lifetime and beyond. 

Emma Helle is a Finnish sculptor who casts the spotlight on marginalized creatures, usually relegated to secondary status in art history. She portrays cherubs and feminine sprites in the starring role as active agents. Relaxed, unpretentious, and generous in her style of portrayal, she lends soft, curvaceous shapes to the feminine bodies with a breadth and richness of expression that evokes canonical works from art history. Throughout the ages, there have always been specific conventions that have dictated the portrayal of the human body, a legacy that Helle addresses through a dual lens of art history and corporeality.