Phoebe Helander

Today, February 28, is the final day to visit our presentation of new works by @phoebehelander at @post_fair . #PhoebeHelander’s book-sized, oil on wood works emerge from an expressive and durational form of perceptual painting. In uninterrupted sessions lasting between four and ten hours, Helander’s sensitivity to form and light transform even the most mundane object matter into sites of presence and reflection.  Together, these paintings affirm Helander’s sustained commitment to perception as both subject and method.   Find us at #PostFair, 1248 5th St, Santa Monica, CA, today until 6pm. 📷: Phoebe Helander, “Ice Melting VIII,” 2026, oil on wood, 11 1/4 x 13 ins.

Our presentation of new paintings by @phoebehelander at @post_fair opens today, February 26, in Santa Monica, CA. In an age characterized by rapid change, the paintings in this presentation challenge viewers to revel in the present moment. In one painting, “Foreshortened Calla Lily,” 2026, Helander finds the interior geometry of a flower as it balances atop the rounded form of a water-filled paper cup. Another piece in the presentation, “Maidenhair,” 2026, showcases a cluster of fan-shaped gingko leaves glowing in vibrant and varied yellows, their crisp forms extending across a background of shadows and reflections. “Wire Form III (Divided Space”) and “Wire Form VI,” both 2026, trace the artist’s attention to deceptively austere handmade wire forms that gradually reveal themselves to be more colorful and uncanny as the viewer approaches the work. Together, these paintings affirm Helander’s sustained commitment to perception as both subject and method.   Post-Fair is on view February 26-28 at 1248 5th St, Santa Monica, CA.  Visit Post-Fair.com to purchase tickets.

We are pleased to present a selection of new paintings by @phoebehelander at the second edition of @post_fair opening this Thursday, February 26.  Highlighted by @caseyless in @artsy ’s round-up of “All the Art You Need to See During L.A. Art Week 2026,” Helander’s book-sized, oil on wood works emerge from an expressive and durational form of perceptual painting. In uninterrupted sessions lasting between four and ten hours, Helander’s sensitivity to form and light transform even the most mundane object matter into sites of presence and reflection.  In an age characterized by rapid change, this presentation challenges viewers to revel in the present moment. Find us at #PostFair, February 26 – 28.  📷: #PhoebeHelander, “Foreshortened Calla Lily,” 2026, oil on wood, 11 1/4 x 13 x 1 ins

P·P·O·W will be participating in Post-Fair 2026 with a presentation of Phoebe Helander. Phoebe Helander Maidenhair, 2026 oil on wood 11 1/4 x 12 1/2 ins. 28.6 x 31.8 cm Courtesy of Phoebe Helander and P·P·O·W, New York. Photo: Ian Edquist Phoebe Helander Wire Form III (Divided Space), 2026 oil on wood 11 1/8 x 14 ins. 28.3 x 35.6 cm Courtesy of Phoebe Helander and P·P·O·W, New York. Photo: Ian Edquist —— Post-Fair 2026 Thursday 2/26: 11am - 8pm Friday 2/27: 11am - 6pm Saturday 2/28: 11am - 6pm @ppowgallery @phoebehelander @post_fair #ppow #phoebehelander #postfair

We are pleased to announce the representation of @PhoebeHelander . In deftly made oil on wood paintings, Helander finds her subject within familiar elements of daily life. The painter uses subtle yet highly impactful technical strategies to convey moments of intense contemplation, completing works in single sessions lasting anywhere from four to ten hours. Often returning to the same object matter, Helander produces book-sized paintings that emerge from an expressive and durational form of perceptual painting. Helander’s first solo exhibition with P·P·O·W, “Paintings from the Orange Room,” was on view this past fall. In his review of the exhibition for the @brooklynrail , @matt_moment writes that throughout her work, “Helander communicates the passage of time in much the same way as a long-exposure photograph would, with still points precisely described and movement rendered in degrees of painterly fluidity.” Helander’s sensitivity to form and light transforms even the most mundane objects into sites of renewed understanding, prompting viewers to reconsider their relationships to the world around them. The deliberately imperfect edges of these paintings harbor realities intimately tied to our own yet suspended in moments of metamorphoses. In an age characterized by rapid change, Helander challenges viewers to revel in the present moment. The gallery will present new paintings by Helander at @post_fair in Santa Monica, CA, February 26 – 28, 2026. 📷: Portrait of the Artist, 2025

Today, December 20, is the final day to see @phoebehelander ’s “Paintings from the Orange Room” at 390 Broadway, 2nd Floor. In #PhoebeHelander’s exhibition, deftly made oil on wood paintings form a record of the change inherent to objects as well as the artist’s presence and attention. Even a seemingly still object, like a glass of water, evolves in the studio, resulting in work that allow viewers to share moments of contemplation with the painter and invite reflection on the weight of simple things not taken for granted. Visit “Paintings from the Orange Room” today through 6pm at 390 Broadway, 2nd floor. 📷: “Paintings from the Orange View” (installation view)

Meant to include this picture as part of the last post 🥀 Cold Rose in a Warm Room, 2024 Oil on wood 30.8 x 38.1 x 4.4 cm 📸 Ian Edquist and JSP Art Photography

This carousel has a mix of full compositions and closeups, with photos of the space for context at the end. These paintings are all in the room with the window in the second floor PPOW space, up for another four days. 

Thank you to everyone at PPOW, and especially Eden and Wendy; thank you to the inimitable Sam Messer for joining me for a conversation in the gallery; to Matt Moment for writing about the show for the Brooklyn Rail; and to the NY studio school for including me as part of your fall lecture series. Having new experiences in public can be scary for me but everyone has been so kind. I really have been overwhelmed by the support around the show. 

Also, trigger warning, I think it’s important to say— a few weeks ago I saw an older man unconscious in the street outside the gallery. He seemed to be having, or seemed to have had a fear-induced heart attack, while law enforcement failed to provide first aid. They stood around him, some of them masked, poking him once in a while. They did not provide CPR or chest compressions or anything like that. He was totally motionless. Many people are now under near-constant threat of being taken, without the promise of due process or even of being processed at all. You probably already know these things, but just in case, if you haven’t already taken a know-your-rights training, I really recommend that as a place to start. The @handsoffnyc group has been organizing them and you can attend over zoom for free.

Paintings from the Orange Room P·P·O·W, New York, NY, October 31 – December 20, 2025. Photos: Ian Edquist and JSP Art Photography.

Here are photos of the paintings on three walls in the middle room, ordered from left to right. Hard to get the feeling of being in the space but these pictures come pretty close. Thank you 📸 Ian! @ppowgallery Paintings from the Orange Room P·P·O·W, New York, NY, October 31 – December 20, 2025. Photos: Ian Edquist and JSP Art Photography.

“@PhoebeHelander ’s first solo exhibition in New York City, ‘Paintings from the Orange Room’ at #PPOW, is an auspicious debut consisting of nearly fifty intimate still lifes that make legible her attention to objects over time,” writes @matt_moment in his review for @brooklynrail .  “Helander made each of the works on view in a single session lasting between four and ten hours, continually describing the item at hand according to the shifting conditions of light and form,” Moment states. Continuing, “This endeavor becomes particularly dramatic when Helander takes burning candles as her subject. As she paints these self-destructing objects, the beeswax melts and congeals in new shapes, the wick grows tiny burls, and the flame alternatively flares and diminishes to a smolder. In a recent talk at the @ny_studioschool , the artist likened the pursuit of these transient features to chasing a runaway train. ‘My goal,’ she said, ‘is to stay with the flame.’” Click the link in our bio to read the full article, and don’t miss #PhoebeHelander’s “Paintings from the Orange Room” through December 20 at 390 Broadway, 2nd floor. 📷: Phoebe Helander, “Candle Burning III,” 2024, oil on wood, 14 1/8 x 11 1/8 x 3/4 ins.

Please join Phoebe and myself Thursday evening , for a talk about painting time- love to hear your thoughts. And a great show. @ppowgallery @phoebehelander #time

This Thursday, December 4, 6:30pm, we are pleased to host a conversation between artists @PhoebeHelander and @sammesserstudio in conjunction with “Paintings from the Orange Room,” Helander’s first solo exhibition with the gallery, at 390 Broadway, 2nd Floor. Having met at Yale, the two artists will discuss their distinct approaches to painting using the works on view in the exhibition as their point of departure.  No RSVP necessary for this in-person event. Seating will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. “Paintings from the Orange Room” is currently on view at 390 Broadway, 2nd Floor, through Saturday, December 20.