Helna Merin Joseph is an Indian contemporary artist based in England, renowned for her work in sculpture and painting. Born in 1996 in Changanacherry, Kerala, India, she embarked on her artistic journey by pursuing a higher education in fine arts sculpture. She completed her master’s degree with a gold medal from the Sarojini Naidu School of Art and Communication at the University of Hyderabad in 2020 and previously secured the first rank in her bachelor's from the Kerala University, Raja Ravi Varma College of Fine Arts.
Helna's work has been showcased in several prestigious exhibitions, including the 'Lokame Tharavad' International Art Exhibition in 2021, curated by Bose Krishnamachari, and the Students Biennale ,Kochi Muzuris Biennale in 2017 and 2021. Her art has also been displayed at Art District XIII in New Delhi and with Gallery Dot Walk New Delhi India. Notable solo exhibitions of hers include 'Solitary Reaper' and 'Solitude' in 2018.
Among her accolades, Helna received the Kerala Lalitha Kala Akademi Special Mention Award in 2017 and an honorable mention in 2023. She has been recognized with notable awards including Reserve Bank of India and the Hyundai Motor India Foundation Award. Helna's art is profoundly shaped by her reflections on societal paradoxes and the experiences of women, often delving into themes of gender roles and identity. In addition to her exhibitions, Helna has contributed to mural projects in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and has taught and facilitated workshops in various art forms in India.
Since relocating to the UK, Helna has broadened her artistic practice to include painting, drawing inspiration from her new cultural environment and exploring themes related to UK culture and life.

Educational Qualification
2020-MFA |Sculpture |Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication
University of Hyderabad | University Topper | First Rank with Gold Medal
2018-BFA |Sculpture| Raja Ravi Varma College of Fine Arts, Mavelikara
Kerala University First Rank with Distinction

Scholarships and Award 
2023 -Kerala Lalitha Kala Akademi Honourable  Mention Award
2021- Art for Hope, Hyundai Motor India Foundation, India CSR
2019 -Karunakaran Memorial Students Scholarship by Kerala Lalitha Kala Akademi
2018 -Best Art Student Scholarship, Artist Rama Varma Raja Trust Mavelikara, Kerala
2017- Kerala Lalitha Kala Akademi Special Mention Award
2016- Best Art Student Scholarship, Artist Rama Varma Raja Trust Mavelikara, Kerala
2016- Reserve Bank of India, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

Solo Exhibitions
2018 - Solitary Reaper, Kerala Lalitha Kala Akademi Art Gallery DC Kizhakkemuriyidam, Kottayam, Kerala
2018 - Solitude, Rama Varma Raja Art Gallery, Mavelikara, Kerala

Group Exhibition
2023 -Women Contemporary Artists Graffiti  at Manaveeyam Veedhi, Trivandrum
2023 -Things Are Vanishing Before Us, Gallery Dot walk, Bikanar House, Delhi
2023 -Kerala Lalithakala Akademi 51st State Exhibition, Durbar Hall & Pepper House, Kochi
2022- Odyssey ,Palette People , Hallegua Hall ,Mattancherry ,Kochi , Kerala
2022 -Merak , Art Exhibition, Saint Berchmans college, Changanacherry, Kerala
2022 -Extremely South, Art District 13, Lado Sarai, New Delhi
2022- Kerala Lalitha Kala Akademi 50th State Exhibition, Durbar Hall Art Gallery Kochi 
2022- Art for Hope, Hyundai Motor India Foundation, Bikaner House, New Delhi
2022- 55th Annual Exhibition, Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata
2021-Women Art Exhibition, The Indian Cultural Relations, NGMA, New Delhi
2021- 'Lokame Tharavad 'Contemporary Art Exhibition, Alappuzha, Kerala
2021- Online Students Biennale by Kochi Biennale Foundation
2021- Kerala Lalitha Kala Akademi 49th State Exhibition, Durbar Hall Art Gallery Kochi, Kerala
2021- 'Profound Contemplation’ CAF 6th Edition International Online Art Exhibition
2021- Engineering of Art, An International Contemporary Exhibition of Art
2021- Art Family, International Solo Online Art Exhibition, memory of Mohd.Tauqeer
2020-Hyderabad Art Society Women Art Exhibition Salar Jung Museum Hyderabad
2020-'Winds of colors' Kerala Lalitha Kala Akademi DC Kizhakkemuriyidam, Kottayam, Kerala
2020-'Nirantar' Second International Online Art Exhibition
2018- Kerala Lalitha Kala Akademi 47th State Exhibition, Durbar Hall Art Gallery, Kochi
2017- Students Biennale Kochi Biennale Foundation, Kerala
2017 - Kerala Lalitha Kala Akademi 46th State Exhibition, Dubar Hall Art Gallery, Kochi
2015 -Annual Show, Raja Ravi Varma College of Fine Arts Mavelikara, Kerala
  
Camps and Workshop
2022-Azadikaamruthmahotsav, Kerala Lalitha Kala Akademi , Vaikkom
2022- National Wood Carving Camp Kerala Lalitha Kala Akademi , Kannur, Kerala 
2021-Silpakeralam Online Art Camp, Kerala Lalith Kala Akademi
2021- Dilli Chalo Karshaka Ikyadhartya Samithy Kuttand, Alappuzha, Kerala
2021-T. K Padmini Women Art Camp Kerala Lalitha Kala Akademi, Durbar Hall Art Gallery, Kochi
2020-Women State Gallery of Art, Madhapur, Hyderabad
2017 -'EKAM' National Art Students Camp Government College of Fine Arts Thrissur, Kerala
2017- National Bronze Casting workshop RRVCFA Mavelikara, Kerala
2017 -State level workshop on Terracotta, RRVCFA Mavelikara, Kerala
2017-Dhokara Casting camp RRVCFA, Mavelikara, Kerala
2017 -Wall Art Painting Camp South Zone Cultural Centre, Thanjauvr, Tamil Nadu

 Workshop Facilitator
2023 -Textile Art with Upcycled Fabric for Children, Beypore International RT Fest and Textile Art Festival 
2023 - Art of Abandoned Denim, ABC Art Room, Kochi Biennale Foundation DLF Cabral Yard, Fort Kochi   
2023 -Sargolsavam, The State Government of Kerala, Kerala Lalita Kala Akademi Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi and Kerala Sahitya Akademi  
2022 -Star Making Workshop Saintgits Design school, Kottayam, Kerala 
2021- Vegetable Carving Workshop, Jwala Kavalam, Kerala