Helen Thompson

Helen is a neurodivergent visual artist based in Lancaster UK. She studied BA(Hons) Art: Practice & Theory at Lancaster University.

Helen’s artwork is inspired by her background and personal experiences in elite gymnastics. Her work explores movement and form during acrobatic skills, as well as social issues relating to the implications of negative coaching practices, abuses of power and the failure of safegaurding policies in sports.

She works across multiple disciplines including drawing, painting, collage and video. Her process embraces mixed media methods that incorporates intuitive, abstract painting with layers of imagery and text. 

Helen is an associate artists at Kings Streets Arts in Lancaster, and a former mentee at disability arts organisations DASH in Shropshire.

Helen’s recent achievements include;

– Shortlisted for BBC4’s Life Drawing Live programme, with trip to London to take part in programme rehearsal (2020)

– Collaboration with fellow KSA associate artist to design and complete of a large privately commissioned mural at Wagon & Horses Restaurant & Hotel, Lancaster (2020)

– Selected to be part of Artist Tanya Raabe-Webber’s ACE funded project ‘Collaborative Sketchbooks’ (2021)

– Completed two community art commissions for Lancaster BID (2021)

– Awarded a Creative Award from SANE (2022)

– Completed an Illustrated Garden Map for local Memorial Garden, commissioned by Halton Gardening Group (2022)

– Awarded Arts Council England funding for development project ‘ProPriOception’ (2022)

– Selected as collaborative artist on ACE funded project ‘Futures in Practice’ (2023)

In April 2023 Helen successfully completed her ACE funded project ‘ProPriOception’, which included a solo exhibition at The Dukes,  Lancaster. You can read about her project and view the artwork and video she produced work here. Helen is now building on the momentum and progress of her development period bringing together the methods and techniques she cultivated to create a new series of autobiographical artworks about her personal experiences within the work of elite gymnastics.