victoria helena(she/they), b. 1977 Sweden (Polish/Croatian from USA) is a multinational artist based in London while maintaining an international practice. Raised in a Polish, Croatian, and Catholic working class tradition as an undocumented immigrant in the US for most of their childhood, victoria helena quickly learned the profound importance of diasporic assimilation and ‘passing privilege’. This unique lived experience, further complicated by neurodivergence, queerness, the entanglements of abuse, epigenetics of war, and complex trauma, indelibly informs their multidisciplinary work as it traverses varying states of powerlessness and hope.
victoria helena currently maintains a studio practice in Hackney. In addition to commissioned public artworks, victoria helena’s pieces reside in private collections across the United States and Europe. They are an alumnus of the Royal College of Art, having earned a Masters in Sculpture with distinction in 2019. victoria helena has also participated in the 58th International Venice Biennale, been shortlisted for the prestigious Mark Tanner Sculpture Prize, and completed the coveted Benson-Sedgwick Residency.
Huma Kabakcı (b. London, 1990) is a Turkish-British curator, writer, custodian of a family collection, and former founding director of Open Space Contemporary, living and working in London. She graduated with her BA in Advertising and Marketing at the London College of Communication. She completed her MA & MPhil degrees in Curating Contemporary Art at the Royal College of Art, London.
Kabakci has worked in many capacities at commercial galleries, biennials, museums, and auction houses in the UK, Turkey, and internationally. Her curatorial interest lies in creating immersive experiences and a broader dialogue in collaboration with multidisciplinary practitioners. Kabakci’s key areas of interest and knowledge focus on diaspora, gender and identity politics, social impact, food as a medium, and hospitality.
She is studying for her second MA in Anthropology of Food (part-time) at SOAS, London, and guest lectures at Sotheby’s Institute, specifically on collection management and the global market. Alongside running her substack page called @curiouscurator, Kabakci is a contributor to STIR magazine, a supporter of Gasworks and a Benefactor of Nottingham Contemporary.