Helen Morelli
This body of work, comprising screen prints and sculpture, explores superstition as something woven into everyday life. Superstitions are beliefs and behaviors typically passed down through generations, connecting us to the past, present and future. Rituals are the products of superstitions, the comforting belief that a ritual or object has the power to bring good luck or fortune. Morelli is drawn to explore the small, learned actions or rituals such as placing objects; the Child of Prague, crossing fingers, touching wood, making a wish on a wishbone, or finding a four-leaf clover. All of this reflects the human need for reassurance and control over fate, turning irrational fears into tangible visual representations.
The hand is a recurring form in Morelli's work, shown in acts of placing, crossing, and touching. These gestures are simple and familiar; they reflect how superstition exists in daily life, where small actions are performed almost without thinking, with the intention of having control over the unknown. It is part of the human condition, the desire to control things that we may not necessarily have in our power.
Morelli's practice is informed by her own superstitions and beliefs, like seeing two magpies - representing joy. These actions are often private, automatic, or barely noticed in everyday life. Through making, they are slowed down and made visible.
Moving across different mediums allows Morelli to approach these ideas in different ways. Screen printing introduces repetition, layering, and variation, where small shifts and imperfections remain visible. Casting and ceramics bring a slower, more physical engagement, where touch and material response become important.
Across her work, Morelli is interested in repetition, belief, and the small gestures people use to navigate uncertainty. The hand becomes a central image for this, both ordinary and symbolic. These gestures, however small, offer ways of continuing to hold onto the possibility that things might turn out well. We live in hope.
Helen Morelli is a Dublin-based multidisciplinary artist, working in print, painting, and ceramics. Her current work explores superstition in everyday life through small, learned actions, shaped by her own superstitions and beliefs. Morelli has exhibited in **Down the Road, Around the Corner**, Pallas Projects/Studios (2026), **The Secret of Colour and Light**, curated by Sahoko Blake ARHA, Walters Bar, Dún Laoghaire (2025), **Better than Ambrosia**, The Orangery, Marlay Park (2025), **Flock**, curated by Dr. Selina Guinness, Dublin Art Book Fair, Temple Bar Gallery (2025), **Fictions: The makings of other worlds**, curated by Adrian Duncan, Dublin Art Book Fair, Temple Bar Gallery (2024) and **The Place Project**, IMMA Studios (2023).
