Sandra‘s Closet

Gone too soon.

Still processing this. Hilde Lynn Helphenstein, known to so many of us as @jerrygogosian, was found dead in her hotel room at the Rosewood São Paulo on May 31st. She was 40. The circumstances of her death remain under investigation.

She gave us sharp wit, irreverence, and an insider’s eye on an art world that too often takes itself far too seriously. Her memes circulated like gospel. She said what people only dared to think. And just days before she died, she encouraged us all to «let the rich woman inside fly.»

What many may not have noticed is that in recent months, she had quietly turned to painting, sharing 87 delicate watercolors on her personal Instagram. Mostly flowers. A softer, more private side of a woman the world knew for her sharp edges.

But her passing is a reminder of something we need to keep telling ourselves: we never truly know what someone is carrying behind the version of themselves they choose to show the world. The funniest, the sharpest, the most brilliant voices are not immune to darkness and struggle.

So check in on the people you love. Be a little kinder than necessary. You never know what today looks like for someone else.

Rest, Hilde. 🖤

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht and via @hildehelphenstein
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This was one of my favorite encounters this week while being in South Korea. I met artist and curator Hilde Lynn Helphenstein, known for the popular Instagram art meme account @JerryGogosian, to talk conceptual art, including her work «Neo-Narcissus» at the PhillipsX exhibition «Briefly Gorgeous» in Seoul.

The «Briefly Gorgeous» exhibition has been curated in collaboration with Joan Tucker, and sponsored in part by Hanwha Life. Featuring work by over 30 international artists, this exhibition presents an exciting blend of talents from a new generation such as Susan Chen, Hilde Lynn Helphenstein, Yoora Lee, Se Oh, Kaifan Wang, and Ho Jae Kim; alongside art historical titans such as Hernan Bas, Alexander Calder, David Hockney, Scott Kahn, and Yayoi Kusama.

«There is no collecting art without social media anymore.»
— HILDE LYNN HELPHENSTEIN

The notion of impermanence in beauty is a poignant reminder that nothing lasts forever. By showcasing the dynamic interplay between these fearless new voices and established luminaries, this exhibition prompts us to reflect on the significance of embracing beauty in its transitory forms, while  remaining true to our own principles and values. It encourages us to recognize that true beauty lies beyond fleeting trends and external judgments, and that our own standards and beliefs can shape our appreciation of the ever-changing world around us. Briefly Gorgeous serves as an enduring testament to the profound understanding of beauty’s temporality.

It was a true pleasure talking to Hilde Lynn. She explained that bringing this one sculpture to life has been a «wild mission». She found the original photograph of the statue of narcissist that sits in the Louvre. And then on Instagram she found someone to draw that sculpture but change it the way she wanted it to. «Neo-Narcissus» is her largest and most complicated physical work that she has ever exhibited. The price for this amazing sculpture is approximately $150.000.

Hilde Lynn said: «It seems as our relationship with technology develops and we become more intertwined with it every day deeper and deeper, this warning seems to be disappearing. Even in the ’90s, ’80s, ’70s, things were considered beautiful multi-dimensionally, because a person had beautiful personality or they gave a lot to charity, or they helped others, there was something about their being, that made them lovelier. Because today we live with technology, that is alienating and dividing us, and then reflecting back, not just our own image constantly, but an unreal artificial version, there is an implication of ugliness in that. But it is very hard to parse, because there are some people who fall somewhere into it, some people are deep and some people are watching it trepadaciously happen. Some people are like me and go «OMG that is awesome, OMG no its is not,» they go back and forth with it.»

Songwon Art Center
75, Yunposun-gil, Jongno-gu,
Seoul, 03061, Korea (map)

Viewing
1-9 September 2023
Open daily: 10am – 6pm

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise!