Hélène Baum-Owoyele

BOOKBIRTHDAY „Johanna und die Maske der Makonde“! 🎉 Johanna ist wenig begeistert, als sie Kito, ihren Opa aus Tansania, ins Museum begleiten soll. Doch eine Maske in der Sammlung Afrika ändert alles. Sie schaut Johanna direkt an. Ihr Opa ist sich sicher: Die Maske stammt aus seinem Dorf und wurde in der Kolonialzeit brutal geraubt. Am nächsten Tag wird die Maske aus dem Museum gestohlen – der Verdacht fällt auf Kito! Höchste Zeit für Johanna & ihre Freund*innen, Ermittlungen aufzunehmen … Ein spannender Kinderkrimi für alle ab 9 von @evalezzi und @annamariaprassler , illustriert von @helene.baum , erschienen im @haseundigelverlag . Danke an die literarischen Agenturen @litagencykossack und @literaturagentur_arteaga ! „Johanna und die Maske der Makonde“ wäre nicht möglich gewesen ohne die Menschen, die unser Projekt über viele Jahre hinweg begleitet haben, ohne all unsere intensiven Gespräche, Recherchen und den wertvollen Austausch - TAUSEND DANK: Léontine Meijer-van Mensch @grassimuseum.skd @patricia.vester.illustrations @joanna.pep @nancymgq 🙏💕 Wir haben Johannas Geschichte ursprünglich als Drehbuch geschrieben. Der Film trägt den Titel „Das Geheimnis der gestohlenen Maske“ und feiert bald auf dem Filmfest München seine Europa-Premiere 🥳 Für die Stoff- und Drehbuchentwicklung danken wir: @foerdervereinkinderfilm.de @nancymgq & unseren Dramaturginnen Malina Nnendi Nwabuonwor und Amelia Umuhire sowie allen beteiligten Entscheidungsträger*innen, unseren Produzentinnen Rima Schmidt und Eva Franz von MadeFor und allen Gewerken! Ganz besonders danken wir den Kindern und ihren Eltern, die ihre (Familien-) Geschichten und Erfahrungen mit uns geteilt haben! ❤️ Nun wünschen wir viel Spaß beim Lesen! 😊📚 #johannaunddiemaskedermakonde

The magic lies in the doing. In seeing an image emerge, slowly unfolding through the acts of the body and mind and spirit. This is a piece in progress and although I sketched it out before starting, painting brings surprises and changes unforeseen. I feel like each piece is a living being that has its own say and will. . . . Video music: Jeff Kaale - Static . #wip #art #painting #spirits #afrofuturism

“Sweeping change, transformation and transitions. You fear and yearn for them in equal parts. Remember my dear, change is the only sure thing in this world and we are all equal in death. So take heart, let go and ride the circle. Enjoy being the caterpillar as much as the chrysalis and the butterfly. Bye!” . Read my full post “Thin veils” on substack 👉🏽link in bio . #halloween #tarot #death #art #illustration #oracle #maskerade #transformation #change #butterfly

“If your thoughts have grown somber and a sinister feeling is chilling your bones, it’s time to jump into action! Abandon your spells for abundance and eternal youth, instead prepare to manifest bigger and more urgent truths. Gather your tools, grind, chop, pluck and bind. Draw in the fiercest powers you can find. Remember, we all have a role to play, you will also find your way.” [Text in the image] “Bones of ancestress, Drop of menarche, I banish the patriarch¥. Thyme, sage and pesticide, Bind those who commit g€nocide!” . . . #themagician #tarot #halloween #witch #manifest #art #illustration #magic #stopgreed #stopgenocide #stopclimatechange #stoppatriarchy #stopcolonialism #stopcapitalism

“Darkness has nothing on you, in fact, it only makes you shine brighter! You have power and some people will want to cage you up, dim your light, ask you to shrink. What do you say? “Hell no!” You’re past jumping through hoops and performing circus tricks. Give fair warning and set the tone. If they persist, you may bite back!” . . . #strength #tarot #halloween #lion #illustration #art #tarotcard #tarotreading

“The days are getting shorter and keeping your mood up is nearly a full-time job. Give yourself a break and feel the cycles of the moon. Howl if you must. Life and death and life again. We all bloom when we’re ready. Comparison is your worst enemy.” . . . #moon #halloween #tarot #werewolves #art #illustration #painting #themoon

“This season of fading light, breathe into your belly, close your eyes and go deep inside yourself. Face your most hidden and feared self. No light without shadow, dears. If you’re not screaming, you didn’t do it right. It can’t all be pretty. Now dry your tears, embrace that inner ghoul and know you are still worthy of love.” . . . #halloween #tarot #shadowwork #faceyourself #meditation #illustration #art #ink #watercolor #thehangingone

In the studio 16.6.2025 . . . #art #wip #painting #healing #spirits

New poster for Karneval der Kulturen happening next week ❣️🍀🪽 Thank you to the @karneval.berlin team for entrusting me with this year’s visual too 🙏🏾 . Poster spotted by my dear friend @sarmishta_pantham . . . #karnevalderkulturen #berlin #illustration #posterart #humanmade #maskerade #carneval

I was honored to be able to make the poster and flyers for this incredible exhibition @ngbk_berlin 👀It’s still on until June 1st and this Saturday 17th May there will be curatorial tours at 15h snd 16h with @mltppr and @majsmoszna Activist Choreographies of Care: perfocraZe International Artist Residency connects Kumasi and Berlin, intertwining queer stories told in, about, and from those locations. Archival and newly produced artistic works, previous performances and new live actions are linked by an event program, bringing together the communal spirit of the residency with the notion of a gathering space provided by an exhibition display and performance set-up. The project opens a satellite space of the perfocraZe International Artist Residency [pIAR] from Kumasi, Ghana, in Berlin. pIAR is a self-organized safer space for people of the LGBTQIA+ community in Ghana, which is currently under acute threat from a law disguised as “Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights And Ghanaian Family Values Bill”. The law, which was passed by Parliament in February 2024 criminalizes the identification as LGBTQIA+ and the promotion of LGBTQIA+ rights, amongst many other activities. While the law has not been signed by the previous parliament, hence suspending its implementation, the new parliament allegedly plans to include the violent and discriminatory content of the law in school curricula. Through installation, film, textiles, poetry and performance, the artists engage with the search for queer ancestries, dismantling colonial histories inscribed in bodies and spaces, to build different worlds that hold space for connection, daily resistance, and transformation. Kumasi and Berlin-based artists explore circular narrations and speculative queer futures. Looking at pre-colonial histories, the project gathers artists whose work challenges Western notions of binary genders and queerness, to raise international solidarity and build resilience networks.

New growth, work in progress 🌱 . . . #wip #art #acrylic #spirits #heal

Coming up for air briefly to say hi and take a poll (further down👇🏽) Work was busy there for the first quarter of the year, the baby has become an energetic toddler and we moved into a new studio. And I must admit that my motivation to post on here has been dwindling for some time. For political reasons, supporting a man and company that are so problematic, to say the least. And AI and the algorithm which feels like a bottomless pit which needs to be fed constantly whilst hiding the food it receives. I miss the sharing though and having meaningful interactions, being able to choose what and how to say it without fearing loss of clients or worse. So I’m toying with the idea of creating a Patreon account where I could share more painting, personal and spiritual topics there whilst also funding the creation process a bit. Members would be let into a more personal space and get some perks like discounts on prints for example. This IG account would still stay but mostly to show client work. So I’m asking quite candidly: What do you think?