Helen Liene Dreifelds is an emerging visual artist working in sculpture and installation informed by
textile thinking. Through structured improvisation, her work investigates transformation through
themes of affect, translation, hybrid folklore, and duration. Speaking Through Flowers: Cultural
Mistranslations and Material Entanglements is the working title of her most recent artistic research
driven by the questions: How do change processes occur? What enables shifts in knowledge? How
could mistranslations and entanglements reveal aspects of the past, present, and possible future(s)?
Shared studio spaces alongside employment as an educator and skilled tradesperson have
influenced the development of her work. Past residencies include ISSP Riga (2021-2022), Artscape
Daniels Launchpad (2019-2020), Akin Studio Program at the MOCA Toronto (2018-2019), and
Harbourfront Centre (2014-2018). Exhibition highlights include Galerie Collection with the Maison des
Métiers d’art du Québec, Idea Exchange at Cambridge Art Galleries, Harbourfront Centre, Lonsdale
Gallery, and Propeller Centre for the Visual Arts. Toronto Arts Council and the Canada Council for the
Arts grants have contributed to sustaining her practice.
She holds a BA in Applied Human Sciences and Art History from Concordia University (2009) and
DEC in Constructed Textiles from Montreal Centre for Contemporary Textiles (2014). In August 2023,
she will be pursuing her MFA in Sculpture at Yale University.
Selected work details:
Decorative Elements, 2022. Aluminum tapestry frame loom, c-print, cotton, nylon, polyester industrial sewing thread, brass. 4’ x 4’ x 2’.
Where the Two Seas Meet (Kuolka), 2022. Lead water casting, honey, birch bark, Baltic Sea water, oak bark tea, souped C41 film roll, concrete column, steel, cotton, nylon, wool, stainless steel coated thread, bleach. 7’ x 5’ x 4’.
Light Gradually Appears (Gaisma Aust), 2022. Red pine sapling, test tube, drop ceiling rod, drywall carving, Austra’s koks, aluminum foil ceiling medallion pressing, thermometer replica, gypsum driftwood, cotton, polyester stainless steel thread, framing lumber, mechanic’s wire, brass, c-print. 5’ x 4’ x 2’.
A Sharp Tongue Cuts Harder Than A Knife (Samizdat), 2019. Stainless steel thread, cotton stage cord, leather string, aluminum. 104” x 32” x 18”.
Meanwhile, Threshold, 2019. Aluminum, handwoven hemp and lycra bandages, silicone, jasmine flower, zip ties, architectural metal siding, theatre light gels, mirrored acrylic. Site specific variable dimensions.