Hybrid Pleasure

For the first time in over two decades, the radical and sensuous work of Helen Chadwick (1953–1996) is presented in its full scope and brought into dialogue with Austrian-based sculptor Liesl Raff (*1979, Stuttgart), offering a contemporary perspective on Chadwick’s groundbreaking practice. The British artist Helen Chadwick explored the sensuous aspects of the natural world in her influential sculptural and performative works. She frequently referenced the metaphor of the flower and the act of blooming—challenging traditional ideas of what is considered “conservative” or “beautiful” in art history.

In this exhibition, her works enter into conversation with those of Liesl Raff, whose sculptural language similarly resists stereotyping—particularly in relation to material, architectural references and concepts of the body. For this exhibition, Raff works with the notion of support—conceptually and linguistically—creating a fluid setting in which surfaces merge and reveal transitions. Anchoring structures, tactile connections and subtle frameworks make both artists’ works sensorially accessible and experientially rich. This multisensory exhibition on the upper floor presents a major retrospective of Chadwick’s oeuvre, reinterpreted through the lens of the present day and juxtaposed with Raff’s contemporary sculptural practice. It is the first large-scale exhibition of Chadwick’s work in over 25 years, tracing her artistic evolution—from her acclaimed graduation piece In the Kitchen (1977) to the iconic Piss Flowers (1991–92).

Chadwick—who has been present in Austria since the 1980s (including steirischer herbst 1987/1999; Galerie Lendl, Graz; Salzburger Kunstverein, 1994; MUMOK, 2015/2022)—worked across media and consistently explored hybridity. In innovative and often provocative material combinations, she united aesthetic beauty with the grotesque: meat, flowers, chocolate, compost, and bodily fluids became meaning-laden and often poetic elements in her work. Her feminist perspective is infused with wit, craft, and a critical approach to science and cultural history.

Raff’s sculptures—made of latex, metal, or standardised stage elements-complement the retrospective with a quiet sensuality. Her forms respond physically and receptively to Chadwick’s hybrid conceptual space, opening up new, contemporary readings of material, the body, and language. The dialogue between the two positions follows the concept of hybridity—implicitly inspired by Homi K. Bhabha—and, through Raff’s exhibition design, gives rise to a “third space” dedicated to the processual and the living. Over the course of the exhibition, this space will host live events and performances that respond to and activate the shared themes.

The exhibition is co-produced with The Hepworth Wakefield and builds upon the solo presentation of Chadwick’s work shown there in 2025. Site-specifically adapted to the flowing architecture of the Kunsthaus Graz, it forms part of Bloom, a museum-wide focus on the motif of the flower at the Universalmuseum Joanneum. The exhibition is accompanied by a rich outreach program.

The publication Helen Chadwick: Life Pleasures (English) includes contributions by the two curators, as well as texts by David Notarius, Marina Warner and others. Edited by Laura Smith, Thames & Hudson, 2025.