In her project Plexus, German artist Elena Helfrecht explores historical trauma and the confrontation with the past. She perceives the institution of the family as a key driver of psychological processes in which collective history and the phenomenon of postmemory are unconsciously mirrored. Following her grandmother’s death, she returns to her family estate in Bavaria, transforming the old house into a surreal stage and archival materials into the protagonists of an allegorical play, which she unfolds through unsettling still lifes.

Immersing herself in the fragmentary history of her female lineage, the artist fills the gaps of memory with dreams, associations, and imagined scenes, creating a visual essay that transgresses personal and national boundaries. Her photographs absorb the viewer with a captivating visuality that defies rational interpretation, yet inherently relies on a hidden logic of absurdity. Ordinary objects and the dark interiors of the house become parabolic proxies for an investigation into mental health, the legacy of war, and the continuous repetition of inherited family behaviors.

Elena Helfrecht (&1992) studied at the Humboldt University of Berlin and the Royal College of Art in London. Her work has been published in prestigious publications such as The British Journal of Photography and The New Yorker. She has exhibited in prominent art institutions and festivals across Europe, the USA, Japan, and Australia.