Artist Makes “Porcelain” Weapons To Explore What It Means To Be A Woman
Interview With ArtistHelena Hauss is a 29-year-old French artist who was “bored and raised” in Paris, where she currently resides. While mostly known for her extremely detailed ball-point pen drawings, Hauss has recently branched out into the world of sculptures.
In an interview with Bored Panda, Helena detailed her decision to switch media. “There were some things inside me I wanted to express which I felt I couldn’t do with just a drawing, I wanted to go beyond that. I needed to create an actual object that would say it all once you saw it,” she explained. “Something allegoric, a metaphor where people could go, “Here. This is exactly how I’ve been feeling all this time”.
More info: helenahauss.net | Instagram
Artist Helena Hauss created these sculptures as a way to challenge our perception of femininity
She titled her ‘porcelain’ project ‘Hell Hath no Fury’. “It’s an approach to represent the inner strength and fury that comes with being a woman, in contrast to an appearance of delicacy we’re too often branded with,” the artist elaborated. “Women have repeatedly been construed as the “weaker sex” and are regularly being preyed on or diminished in some way or another,” Hauss continued on the inspiration behind her sculptures. “Too often portrayed as fragile and delicate, this project is an expression of the contrasting subtleties that come with femininity, as well as an attempt at vindication from a feeling of constant vulnerability that’s been forced upon us.” The ‘ceramic’ weapons are a symbol of ‘inner strength, fury, and empowerment’.
Even though the sculptures look delicate and bring out the images of precious china sets hidden in a cupboard, they are actually very sturdy. Hauss made polyurethane (a polymer that can be used for sculpting) look like porcelain, a very fragile material. “I wanted something strong that wouldn’t break easily, as a metaphor for its subject. Something that would look like Porcelain but actually isn’t,” the artist explained.
When asked about the message behind her art, Hauss stated that she doesn’t want to make it political, she wanted her work to be a testimony of her personal feelings. “I think that’s when art works best: not with an agenda, but when done with sincerity,” she added. “It’s the difference between a song written for the masses and one written from the heart: where the lyrics hit you as something you can really relate to. That’s the human experience and in the end, it’s much more powerful than any political agenda: because that’s when we’ll all do better, when we actually truly understand each other”.
“The word perception is the best one you could have used: in the end, that’s the real problem, misunderstanding and ignorance,” the artist told Bored Panda. Hauss also stressed that her art is a sincere expression of herself – “We’re too often perceived as something we’re not, and the best way to change that is to actually show ourselves, make ourselves be seen, be heard”.
As for what’s next in her projects? Helena plans to continue working on art similar to “Hell Hath no Fury”. “I’m currently working on a special piece made all in embroidery, tackling the same kind of idea by using both decorum and cynicism,” she let us have an exclusive glimpse at her next project. “Most of my work explores that similar theme of Irreverence [,] it’s all about challenging imposed labels and reveling in one’s own identity rather than having to apologize for it.”
You can watch some of the painting process in the video below
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Share on Facebookit means nothing to be a woman. you have female reproductive organs. that's it.
that's not entirely true. You obviously should never judge someone b/c of there gender or race or religion, but you should also never forget that it is apart of their identity and something to be proud of. Why say Girl power of being a girl is the same as being a boy? you get what I mean?
Load More Replies...seriously? flowers? China? that's how she thinks women are represented. not this woman. I have never been fragile. I think this labels women as delicate, not strong.
Same! I feel like they makes us LOOK kinda tough but actually be pretty weak
Load More Replies...Beautiful stuff, but I'm not sure why they is a statement about women.
These look sooo beautiful yet so badass. Would be a perfect gift for my wife.
When actual porcelain is thick, it is nearly indestructible. An artist I know who makes vases with a crystalline glaze was told of one of his early pieces that went through the recent Malubu fires. Glassware above it shattered and melted, and the rest of the house was ash. Owners saw some color in the debris, and pulled the vase out, unharmed! Just needed a wash....
Beautiful pieces but I don't follow the logic. If a battle axe is a symbol of inner strength shouldn't her next project be a ceramic AK-47? Get even stronger!
Charles Krafft made pieces like this. Among other things he made handgrenades and an AK-47.
Load More Replies...Quisiera, conectarme con quien escribio la reseña ...sobre los Gatos, es ese aire de misterio o sensualidad lo ¿Qué te atrae? Ahora, sobre el artículo, es plástico? No lo creo parece ceramica, porcelain in did. Digo sé q la idea era esa misma
"She doesn't want to make it political" but this work could not exist without French colonial engagements in China. Chinoiserie as a female-coded space of colonization is nothing new
Art in itself is great but the toxic feminism message almost ruins it
Absolutely beautiful pieces. I love blue and white china so that made the pieces even better.
Well, Delftware was not invented by Krafft, and though there are some obvious similarities there is a big difference between "inspired by" and "rip off".
Load More Replies...I love all the details...so intricately done. And powerful message.
AMAZING. These are some of the best pieces of art I've ever seen....
Im a female and Im insulted. Porcelain does not equal female. Take your feminist bull and shove it. The gap between males and females is large enough. Feminist c**p like this widens that divide. Just call it art and remove "female" from it. F**k.
Feminism is about equality, for one, ie closing the gap. Secondly these have the *appearance* of porcelain, which is part of the point. Women are generally expected to be delicate and pretty, even today. This piece says "Sure, we'll be delicate and pretty, but also strong"
Load More Replies...... again!!! After Charles Krafft and Antonio Riello!!! Then if you search "porcelain weapons contemporary art" images on Google ... You can find much more ... Hahaha... there is no memory and there is so much ignorance, everybody copy everybody (doing same things without even knowing it). simply ridiculous!!!
What is your basis for asserting that she couldn't possibly be a "skilled craftsman" and that she couldn't make them? Did you even watch the video showing her painting them? Are you suggesting that only a man could have made them, or is this just an attack on her personally?
Load More Replies...It's a metaphor to say "Women are not that fragile". Literally.
Load More Replies...A club wouldn't be a "metaphor" for strength, it's the literal use. However a club looking both fierce with all its spikes but beautiful and delicately painted does seem like a good metaphor for inner strength to me, even for masculine strength for that matter. A piece of art can only be as thoughtful as the person looking at it.
Load More Replies...It actually says in the article than she made it out of polyurethane resin so it would be sturdy and wouldn't break easily.
Load More Replies...it means nothing to be a woman. you have female reproductive organs. that's it.
that's not entirely true. You obviously should never judge someone b/c of there gender or race or religion, but you should also never forget that it is apart of their identity and something to be proud of. Why say Girl power of being a girl is the same as being a boy? you get what I mean?
Load More Replies...seriously? flowers? China? that's how she thinks women are represented. not this woman. I have never been fragile. I think this labels women as delicate, not strong.
Same! I feel like they makes us LOOK kinda tough but actually be pretty weak
Load More Replies...Beautiful stuff, but I'm not sure why they is a statement about women.
These look sooo beautiful yet so badass. Would be a perfect gift for my wife.
When actual porcelain is thick, it is nearly indestructible. An artist I know who makes vases with a crystalline glaze was told of one of his early pieces that went through the recent Malubu fires. Glassware above it shattered and melted, and the rest of the house was ash. Owners saw some color in the debris, and pulled the vase out, unharmed! Just needed a wash....
Beautiful pieces but I don't follow the logic. If a battle axe is a symbol of inner strength shouldn't her next project be a ceramic AK-47? Get even stronger!
Charles Krafft made pieces like this. Among other things he made handgrenades and an AK-47.
Load More Replies...Quisiera, conectarme con quien escribio la reseña ...sobre los Gatos, es ese aire de misterio o sensualidad lo ¿Qué te atrae? Ahora, sobre el artículo, es plástico? No lo creo parece ceramica, porcelain in did. Digo sé q la idea era esa misma
"She doesn't want to make it political" but this work could not exist without French colonial engagements in China. Chinoiserie as a female-coded space of colonization is nothing new
Art in itself is great but the toxic feminism message almost ruins it
Absolutely beautiful pieces. I love blue and white china so that made the pieces even better.
Well, Delftware was not invented by Krafft, and though there are some obvious similarities there is a big difference between "inspired by" and "rip off".
Load More Replies...I love all the details...so intricately done. And powerful message.
AMAZING. These are some of the best pieces of art I've ever seen....
Im a female and Im insulted. Porcelain does not equal female. Take your feminist bull and shove it. The gap between males and females is large enough. Feminist c**p like this widens that divide. Just call it art and remove "female" from it. F**k.
Feminism is about equality, for one, ie closing the gap. Secondly these have the *appearance* of porcelain, which is part of the point. Women are generally expected to be delicate and pretty, even today. This piece says "Sure, we'll be delicate and pretty, but also strong"
Load More Replies...... again!!! After Charles Krafft and Antonio Riello!!! Then if you search "porcelain weapons contemporary art" images on Google ... You can find much more ... Hahaha... there is no memory and there is so much ignorance, everybody copy everybody (doing same things without even knowing it). simply ridiculous!!!
What is your basis for asserting that she couldn't possibly be a "skilled craftsman" and that she couldn't make them? Did you even watch the video showing her painting them? Are you suggesting that only a man could have made them, or is this just an attack on her personally?
Load More Replies...It's a metaphor to say "Women are not that fragile". Literally.
Load More Replies...A club wouldn't be a "metaphor" for strength, it's the literal use. However a club looking both fierce with all its spikes but beautiful and delicately painted does seem like a good metaphor for inner strength to me, even for masculine strength for that matter. A piece of art can only be as thoughtful as the person looking at it.
Load More Replies...It actually says in the article than she made it out of polyurethane resin so it would be sturdy and wouldn't break easily.
Load More Replies...
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