United Kingdom
2018 / 2019
When Helen arrived at Il Palmerino for a residency programme in 2018, her stay was part of a much larger project. As the winner of the 'Max Mara Art Prize for Women' award, she set out on an original 'grand tour' through Italy. Her quest would involve travel to six different cities, as she researched the concept of 'female lamentation'. At the start, we could never have imagined how important her stay would become also for us, actively becoming part of her artistic research.
Her ability to interpret the unspoken words, to listen and naturally percieve the meanderings of other people's psyches was the winning card she played, as she explored new places and began to understand the people and experiences she encountered on a journey aimed at revealing the inner voice of her female protagonists.
Helen's research crossed the boundaries of different artistic genres, making it possible for her to rework the art she had created for the exhibition, which was also collected in her artist's book entitled 'Che si può fare', which debuted at London's Whitechapel Gallery in the summer of 2019, before being exhibited at the Collezione Maramotti in Reggio Emilia, the following Autumn/Winter (2019 / 2020). In the same year 2019 Helen wins the prestigious Turner Price.
This collaboration was born spontaneously and it enriched us all, giving rise to new perspectives and unexplored possibilities that arose from a shared sintony, an idea we have in common: the body can speak without words intervening, because the memories inherent in movement are strongly communicative and universally understood.
In her own words
"Thank you for everything: the support, the care, the knowledge and the sensitivity. It has been a wonderful experience for me."
Helen Cammock