Helena Calmfors "Enjoying The Thought of Your Destruction"
Helena Calmfors "Enjoying The Thought of Your Destruction" 2021
Painting: Watercolor on Paper
Dimensions: Painting 24 x 18in
Signed on Verso, Includes a certificate of authenticity
Unique
Helena Calmfors is a queer artist, performer and BDSM professional based in Brooklyn. Originally from Sweden, she has worked and performed in New York since 2014.
The act of creating intimate scenes and experiences is present in all aspects of her work, ranging from watercolor paintings to performance and photography. Helena’s work centers around taking control of the male gaze through the practice of femdom where she explores the theme of reclaiming identity through hierarchical power play. Helena’s work has been included in numerous group exhibitions and art fairs across the United States, including at The Untitled Space, Woman Made Gallery, The Locker Room and Satellite Art Fair and she has performed at notable venues like House of Yes. Her debut monograph Forget Me Not from Circa Press was published in 2025.
“My practice is centered around queerness, femdom and BDSM lifestyles. Through the lens of BDSM I explore how desire, power and objectification coexist, particularly within queer femme identity. My work challenges the patriarchal and heteronormative frameworks that have long shaped how lesbian identity is viewed, performed, and policed.
Watercolor plays a central role in my work. Flowers, bodies, and BDSM-tools appear in bright fluid color offering a visual counterpoint to the hard aesthetics of BDSM. The softness and unpredictability of the medium allow the process of painting to mirror the tension between control and trust.
My photography expands on these central themes through self-portraiture, using flowers and fetish wear to explore different facets of selfhood. The juxtaposition of hyperfeminine aesthetics and elements of BDSM underscores the complexities of occupying femme space in queer communities. With these portraits, I explore not only my own identity but also broader themes of acceptance, agency, and the transformative power of dress and performance in the queer experience.
Through my work I invite viewers to reconsider the narratives surrounding femdom and queer Identities.” - Helena Calmfors