In Helen Geier's work, the perception and experience of space is a pivotal theme, explored on a number of levels and through a variety of media.  Schematic expressions of colour and pattern set up a tension between perceived and constructed space, and bring into question the role that traditional notions of linear perspective have on the picture plane.  Her most recent work, on the theme of “strange plants”, is as much about the introduction of ‘odd’ ideas from other places as it is about vegetation - which, to those whose genetic memory was nurtured elsewhere, in other landscapes, remains oddly foreign.  The paintings depend for their impact and vitality on contrasts of vast space (washing floating in and out of focus) and sharp, compressed detail. The folded, layered network of textures and lines (the residue of thought patterns) is central to each image. “With this work I am hoping to develop stronger, more definite statements about the nature of our country and its intellectual and emotional centre”.

Helen Geier has exhibited widely in Australia and overseas and taught in Canberra, Melbourne and the UK.  A graduate of the Alexander Mackie College in Sydney, Helen also has postgraduate qualifications from St Martin’s School of Art, London and a Master of Arts from RMIT, Melbourne.  Successful exhibitions in France, Singapore, Vienna, New Zealand and India have added to a growing international profile and, in 2001, Canberra Museum and Gallery mounted a major retrospective exhibition showcasing work from her thirty year career. Helen’s work is represented in many collections including the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, Parliament House Art Collection, National Library of Australia, Holmes á Court Collection, Artbank, Australian National University, Griffith University, Curtin University, Lasalle SIA Art Collection (Singapore) and the British Council Collection (India).