Art by HELENA Pty Ltd. HELENA VOGELZANG ~ SCULPTOR

A MODERN VITRUVIAN WOMAN ~ CHANNELING DA VINCI

Helena was invited to represent South Africa, at the 5th & 6th Beijing International Art Biennale~ BIAB 2012 & 2014

South African born sculptor HELENA VOGELZANG, graduated with distinction from the esteemed NSA - National School of  Art, Johannesburg. Furthering her studies in Graphic Design at the JHB Technikon. Her distinct artistic talents gained her recognition, even from a young age.

Her inherent entrepreneurial spirit saw her create a successful business; ANGELWORKS keeping her focus for several years. A Spiritual venture that compelled her to create and manufacture specialized holistic candles and related products. 

In 2001 Helena re-located to Kwa Zulu Natal, initially putting her focus on the candle business, whilst merging back onto the art scene with two solo exhibitions in 2008/9.

After her protracted break from sculpting, Helena returned a more cognizant and intuitive artist; Inspired by their compassion for fellow man, Helena's works during this period, explored the persona of selected international icons. Her love of form and texture areapparent in these figurative bronze masterpieces, which embody spirit and emotion, leaving a symbolic legacy for the future.

The scale and scope of her creations range from the monumental to the smallest gems of nature. Her body of work continues to include her love of the equine form, as well as representations of South Africa's rich wildlife heritage, for which she has a deep and abiding affiliation.

Helena has an exceptional ability to achieve strikingly sensitive portraits of both human and animal studies, which are recreated in the timeless medium of investment bronze casting. 

HISTORIC TIMELINE

Helena Henrietta Vogelzang was born 07 October 1962 in Johannesburg, South Africa, to Dutch immigrant parents, Harry and Lida Vogelzang, the 4th daughter of five children. Of talented pioneering parents; her father an accomplished, Entrepreneurial Engineer, her mother a talented Seamstress and Home Executive. The young newlyweds brought with them their combined skills and abilities from Europe after WW2, to establish a family and successful business in their newfound Homeland of South Africa.   

Helena's early formative years were explorative and challenging, as she sought expression for her gifted talents. Early manifestation of her abilities were mostly overlooked in the main stream schooling systems she encountered. Eventually finding her niche, on acceptance into the Original Johannesburg School of Art, Ballet, Drama, and Music. ABDM (Now The NSA, National School of Art) Attending the Art School from grades ten to twelve, her creative talents found an outlet. In this environment her inherent gifts were recognized, nurtured and honed into creative skills.

Flourishing, she matriculated with honors, Class of 1982. Achieving distinctions in Art for; Sculpture, Painting, Drawing and Design. Helena bloomed in this creative environment, and acknowledges that qualifying for selection into the school was a defining life event. She recalls her time there with fondness, and recognizes that it was a rare privilege and creative springboard for her artistic abilities.  

  Furthering her studies at the Johannesburg Technikon, she achieved a National Diploma in Graphic Design in 1985. A high achiever, she was Head hunted in her final year at the college, and experienced a brief stint as a junior designer, at the Graphic Design firm (CDP) Collett Dickenson Pearce. In short time however, she discovered that the corporate advertising world was an uncomfortable fit, that did not sit well with her soul.

Her inherent entrepreneurial spirit sought expression, prompting her to leave the corporate world in pursuit of her interests in sculpture. Working at Gillian Bickell Potteries as a means to this end, she found a position as an assistant and junior pottery teacher. This afforded her the freedom to undertake works in clay afterhours, particularly one off studies in porcelain.

It was at this time that she entered a competition called 'Create an Egg Collection' sponsored by the Egg Board of South Africa, for which she won a merit award in the professional category with her porcelain rendition of a fascinating puzzle of eggs within eggs. 'The Egg' entry being successfully auctioned by Stephen Welz & Co. in association with prominent auction house, Sotheby's. Reaching one of the highest bids at the gala evening, the proceeds of which went to the African Children's Feeding Scheme . This started a trend that has chequered Helena's career to date - "creating artworks that do good work". 

The Everard Read Gallery exhibited the winning entries, effectively introducing Helena to the art scene: The piece was later reproduced into limited edition bronze castings. One of which is in the First Rand Banking Group's prestigious art collection.

In 1988 she was commissioned by Gail Foxcroft, the Springbok equestrian show jumper, to fashion a piece of her favorite horse ' Bye and Bye' as a trophy. This was Helena's first bronze commission marking the beginning of the sculptor's passion for the horse, which launched her into a career involving horses that continued for eight years...

Specializing in equine art, her particular interest was in Thoroughbred racehorses. Using her skills as a graphic designer Helena designed various trophies for the horse racing industry - as well as portraits in bronze of notable racehorses - for their owners. During this 'golden era' of the sport of Kings,  she was commissioned by some of the best-known patrons in the South African racing Industry, Mr and Mrs Beck, Lawrie Jaffie, Bridgette Oppenheimer also  several racing clubs around the country.

One of the most comprehensive collections of her trophy designs is on display in the "Hall of Fame" at the TBA - Thoroughbred Breeders Association of South Africa in Germiston. In 1991 and 1992 Helena donated her sculptures of the racehorses 'Aquanaut' and 'Hawaii' to Turffontein Racecourse, who auctioned the artworks, proceeds of which went to children's charity.

Helena has undertaken extensive commissions for various private and corporate individuals. Her body of work covers a diverse range of subject matter including life size pieces, portraits of individuals, and sensitive renditions of our rich wildlife heritage, as well as more abstract works on display in public spaces.

One such commission came from the German based Schering Pharmaceutical Company who commissioned Helena to create an installation for their South African office, incorporating two sections of the Berlin Wall.

Another of her works on public display is a seated three-quarter-life size figure of Swami Nishalananda, founding father of the Ramakrishna center in KwaZulu Natal.

A life size bronzed Grey Duiker, a small antelope, that is an historic state symbol of Botswana, is on display there, commissioned by the Government of that country.

She has also been involved in various private, group and gallery exhibitions. Notably: Sotheby's The Egg Board, in association with the Everard Read Gallery 'Create an Egg Collection' on 26th March 1986.

The Natural History Paintings and Sculpture, a group exhibition with prominent artists including internationally renowned, Raymond Harris-Ching, SA painters David Shepherd and Leigh Voigt and fellow sculptors Dylan Lewis and David Tomlinson to name only a few, which took place in November 1995 at the Everard Read Gallery.

More recently... the impactful Kwazulu Natal group exhibition - Foundryman's Collective in association with De Kraal Gallery in Cape Town. Attracting rave reviews.

The highly anticipated and successful consecutive showings in October 2008, 2009, at The Fat Tuesday Gallery in Helena's hometown of Kloof, KZN -  Helena's first solo exhibitions, after a prolonged sabbatical from the art industry. "One of the fascinating things to emerge from this protracted break is this...even though I was not practicing my art, my style and technique evolved, regardless. It seems to have grown and changed with my life experience.

In 2001 Helena settled in KwaZulu Natal from Gauteng. After her long break from the formal art world, Helena began work on the seminal sculpture of her career; she has a great vision for her representation of South Africa's greatest son Nelson Mandela. This sculpture sparked a creative thrust to create a series of very personal artworks indicating that she has returned a more cognizant and intuitive artist.

Through the years Helena has realized that making a living is not the same as making a life. This has had a profound effect on the approach she now has to her natural talents, particularly on the subject matter she chooses to create.

Continuing with her commissions for wildlife and all things equine, and the 'Modern Icons' series has seen Helena creating portraits of people from the past and present that she admires. People who she feels have touched our lives in one way or another. It is a project to watch and observe, as the artist evolves with her subject matter. Subjects are chosen seemingly at random, but they emerge from a gut instinct that she has learned to trust, and true to this philosophy, there is a common thread in these works which are instinctively relatable

In Helena's own words~ "Seeking that glimmer of the Divine that makes us all shine!" That is the elusive thread which Helena strives to capture, in all of her creative muses