CuratorSpace Artist Bursary #26: Helen Thompson

Helen Thompson's art practice focuses on the body, movement, and embodied experience, with a strong emphasis on mark-making and line. She works intuitively to create drawings, paintings, and mixed media pieces that explore and express these themes drawing upon personal experiences.

"Building on my DYCP project, ProPriOception, funded by Arts Council England, my new project 'Exploring Embodied Experience' explores the relationship between embodied drawing, trauma processing, and artistic expression. This centres on the interplay between intuitive figurative line and abstract mark-making, capturing bodily sensations and the boundaries between internal sensation and external representation.

Inspiration for the project comes from ongoing experience with EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) therapy. This therapeutic method, which uses bilateral stimulation to aid trauma processing, often evokes rich, complex visual and emotional responses. My work seeks to translate these responses into mixed-media drawings that balance spontaneity with reflective consideration. By engaging with these emerging images, I aim to create a body of work that visualises the visceral nature of memory, emotion, and healing.

'Exploring Embodied Experience' will consist of six months of studio experimentation, followed by preparation and an exhibition in winter 2025.26. The exhibition will contribute to discussions on mental health and embodied art, developing from my previous experiences as part of Arts & Health Hub and Outside In."

You can find out more about Helen's work at https://www.curatorspace.com/artists/HelenThompsonArt.

Find out more about the CuratorSpace Artist Bursary and how to apply at bursary.curatorspace.com.

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