Thomas Helbig's Monstrous Forms Between Baroque and Minimalism

Thomas Helbig, born in 1967 in Rosenheim and currently based in Berlin, is known for his unique blend of figuration and abstraction, as well as baroque and minimalist styles in his paintings and sculptures. His artwork often transforms flea market portraits, obscuring faces with white paint and drawing inspiration from Russian Suprematism, especially Kazimir Malevich. In his pieces, peculiar birds or fallen angels hover in white skies, reminiscent of comets or spaceships. Since 2003, he has crafted sculptures from damaged plastic ornamental figures found near the Polish border, merging them with polyurethane foam and spray paint to create forms resembling cephalopods or extraterrestrials. His work embodies the phoenix myth, symbolizing rebirth from destruction. Recent solo exhibitions include Bortolami in New York, Eleni Koroneou Gallery in Athens, and Kunstverein Oldenburg (2008), among others until 2010.