Lionel I

This lion doesn’t belong in California. At least, that’s what geography tells us. A polar bear against Arctic snow feels right. Sheep on a green Scottish hillside feel right. But a lion in the American desert? Wrong continent! And yet, the moment I hung him there, he looked completely at home. The colours suited him. The scale suited him. Even the vast emptiness around him seemed to belong to him. I kept looking at the photograph, trying to work out what felt wrong. And then I realised: nothing was wrong with the lion. It was my idea of where he belonged that was wrong. Maybe feeling at home has less to do with where you come from than we think. Sometimes you arrive somewhere you’ve never been before, with no history there and no particular reason to belong - and yet something clicks. The place feels strangely familiar, as though some part of you has been there all along. Perhaps home isn’t always the place you come from. Sometimes home turns out to be somewhere you never expected to find it. Sizes and editions: 42 x 42 cm - Edition of 20 60 x 60 cm - Edition of 15 84 x 84 cm - Edition of 10 Limited edition print, unframed; each work is signed and numbered by Helga on the front. Printed in London on 310 gsm archival textured paper with highest-quality giclée ink. Sizing and Edition 42x42 cm, including 2 cm border (edition of 100) 59x59 cm, including 2 cm border (edition of 30) 84x84 cm, including 2 cm border (edition of 25)