Helena Bacardí Head Series (1981–2018)

Emotion doesn’t always speak through features — it pulses through form, through abstraction. In this Head Series, Helena Bacardí deconstructs the anatomical cranium, breaking it into a labyrinth of planes and shifting volumes.

“I do not carve the face; I carve the feeling that lives within it.” – Helena Bacardí

Inspired by sketches of facial expressions — pain, joy, inner conflict — each sculpture becomes a meditation on emotion at its rawest.

The Head Series – Exploring Form and Emotion

The series consists of three pieces: Head I (1981), Head II (2014), and Head III (2018) — each cast in bronze and the result of a slow, evolving process.

Working with Clay and Bronze

Helena worked first in clay, returning to it while the idea was still forming. Clay, with its sensitivity and tactility, allowed her to shape through instinct and discovery, letting the material speak back. What began as sketches became conversations between hand and matter, gradually taking on weight, presence, and permanence in bronze.

Capturing Emotion Without Features

Each sculpture conveys emotion through abstraction, gesture, and form rather than literal facial features. The Head Series transforms the cranium into a vessel for raw emotional experience.