Helen Carr explores concepts of social class, diet and superstition. As a working-class artist, she celebrates her heritage with work inspired by folk art and her family. The stimulus for a lot of Carr’s work is the highly decorative 17thC Lambeth Delftware posset pot used to administer the tonic posset in times of plague (familiar?!) and Delftware political and domestic ware. Posset was also prescribed by local women thought to have magical abilities and as a remedy for flagging libidos and ageing. In these uncertain, contemporary times Carr too is drawn to Internet driven ‘well-being’ cures, fortune telling and portents. To achieve the detailed surfaces on her sculptures, she repurpose ubiquitous ceramic objects, such as handles, spouts and knobs. They have intrinsic comedy appeal and highlight her love of a pun and sexual innuendo.
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