04 September – 04 October 2008
35 Heddon Street, London W1
In her second solo exhibition at Sadie Coles HQ, Hellen van Meene will show new work made in the south of the USA (2007) and around St Petersburg, Russia (2008). Many of the new works show van Meene moving into panoramic formats, more expansively portraying her human subjects in the worlds they inhabit.
Van Meene’s travels in 2007 produced Going My Own Way Home. This powerful series of portraits focuses on young people from around New Orleans – one of the poorest parts of the American south. Against the backdrop of neglected and weatherworn dwellings, van Meene’s subjects confront the camera face on, by turns bold and vulnerable, sassy and forlorn. In one such portrait three young boys stand outside a run-down house, barefoot and shirtless, scrutinising the viewer as they pause before resuming their play.