Based in Los Angeles, Hellstrom has developed a multidisciplinary practice spanning painting, immersive installation, and large-scale public commissions addressing healing, transformation, and human experience. Her recent projects include Cellular Healing at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, Grief Path at the California Institute of Integral Studies, and Flower Mandala, commissioned by JPMorgan Chase. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and is held in collections including JPMorgan Chase, Pfizer, and the Nantong Museum. A recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Individual Artist Grant, Hellstrom has also received recognition for her innovative approach to public and site-specific art. Her professional experience includes creative work connected to major cultural and entertainment institutions, bringing a distinctive understanding of color, environment, and immersive experience to her studio practice. Informed by calligraphy, Buddhist philosophy, contemplative practice, studies in China, and a residency in India, Hellstrom brings together diverse cultural influences to explore art as a catalyst for healing, connection, and transformation.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

“Equilibrium is reached in my work as structural lines hold despite insistent disruptions, speaking to stability within chaos. In my work, I explore the dark beauty of disruptions that disorient balance, like an internal weather system moving through consciousness.”

I am an internationally exhibited artist creating abstract paintings on polypropylene and wooden panel that draw from the calligraphic painting tradition while exploring the dark side of beauty. Through expressive brushwork and fluid color organized around centerlines, I create a dynamic equilibrium within my acrylic ink paintings. My work encompasses themes of impermanence, compassion, stability, and interdependence, reflecting my engagement with Buddhist concepts and contemplative practice.

Each painting is structured around centerlines that provide balance and a point of reference within fields of shifting color. A graphite crosshair introduces a sense of detachment amid competing forces. These lines hold despite splashes of color, disrupted surfaces, and gestural brushwork, suggesting that stability can exist within chaos and that opposing forces can remain deeply interdependent.

My paintings are informed by my installation practice, where impermanence is often central. In Flower Mandala, I drew upon the Buddhist sand mandala tradition, using flowers chosen for their beauty and ephemeral nature. Installed in the JPMorgan Chase Project Space adjacent to the World Trade Center site, the work created a compassionate dialogue between traditional forms, contemporary art, and the impermanence of human experience.