Helen Shulkin
Architecture as a Human Body:
An Exploration of Form, Memory, and Resilience.
The architectural elements of Helen Shulkin’s work are not mere structures; they are visceral expressions of collective trauma and human endurance.
Helen Shulkin’s art merges human anatomy with architectural form, uncovering the profound parallels between the body and the built environment. Through her dissections on canvas and paper, she reveals the sinews and bones of urban landscapes, highlighting their shared vulnerabilities and resilience. Her work transcends metaphor, directly engaging with the unity of structure and being by transforming concrete and steel into living entities that reflect the softness and warmth of flesh and blood. By blurring the boundaries between body and architecture, Shulkin invites viewers to see buildings not merely as infrastructure but as extensions of human existence, embodying a dynamic interplay of trauma and renewal.
 Wounded buildingCourtesy of the artist |  transection of architectural ligamentsCourtesy of the artist |  ArterioArchCourtesy of the artist |  Aortic FoyerCourtesy of the artist |  In the city's embrace, wreckage distills, bending planes unseenCourtesy of the artist |
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 Stadium №2Courtesy of the artist |
BIO
Born in Belarus, Helen Shulkin earned her degree in Fine Art and Drawing at the Belarusian State University in Minsk in 2001. Since 2020, she has been based in Hamburg, Germany. Helen's work has been widely exhibited across Europe and internationally, including at Durden and Ray Gallery in Los Angeles, Von Fraunberg Art Gallery in Düsseldorf, Anise Gallery in London, and the OSTEN Biennial of Drawing in Skopje. Helen’s art resides in private and public collections, including the German Literary Archive Marbach and the State Library in Berlin.
PUBLICATIONS
Helen's work has been featured in multiple editions of Body & Soul by Corvinus Presse in Berlin. She has also been showcased in Lübecker Nachrichten with "New Art from Belarus at Marien Church", served as the cover image for Office et Culture in Paris, and been highlighted in ARTICULATE in Denmark. Additionally, Helen was honored as "The Best Abstract Artist of the Month" by The Guide Artists Magazine in Spain.
SPACES OF MEMORY AND RESILIENCE
In “Architecture as a Human Body,” Helen Shulkin invites a renewed perspective on urban spaces as extensions of our own experiences of trauma, endurance, and recovery. Her work suggests that buildings are not merely physical structures, but vessels of collective memory and resilience. Shulkin’s art challenges us to see the built environment as intricately connected to the human body, with each architectural form serving as a witness to shared experiences. Through her pieces, she invites us to engage with the spaces around us not only as observers, but as participants in a dialogue about survival, memory, and healing.
A dissection of façades, revealing our urban skeleton.
In the city's flesh, empty veins of darkness spread.