Plastic artist Helen Bickham dies at 89

The American painter Helen Bickham (Harbin, Manchuria, 1935), who lived in Mexico since 1962, died on September 30 at the age of 89. He was a member of the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana since 1997 and part of the Payment in Kind program of the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit.

The daughter of a Ukrainian mother and American father, Bickham, whose given name was Helen Montgomery Rachoak, began drawing from an early age, however she never took formal art classes. Graduated from the University of California at Berkeley, she came to Mexico, in the first instance, invited by her friend the writer and activist Margaret Randall, however, she decided to settle here so that her two children could have a broader education.

His first exhibition was in 1963, however he considered 1975 as the beginning of his professional career because that was when he was able to dedicate himself full time. His work has been the subject of 60 individual exhibitions. At one point she spent a year in Great Britain, even exhibiting in London as a Mexican artist, a fact that always gave her great pride.

The human being, and his body, are a constant in his work. He attributed his interest “to the potential inherent in human beings to create a better world” (5-16-2007 The Day). He admitted to being an idealist, but “but I would like to have a better world.” Interviewed on the occasion of her exhibition On the edge of memoryat the Hecaro Gallery, Bickham’s eyes filled with tears and a lump formed in his throat as he talked about his Hunting in the North series.

He commented: “I find it difficult to believe that the authorities cannot find out who is murdering all those women. Despite the progress made, the murders are symbolic of the position given to women, that one can kill them. They are young, poor and without influences. But, my work not only has to do with Juárez. In refugee camps around the world, women are treated very poorly. They rape them if they find them alone. There is the idea that women are susceptible to being raped or abused, simply because they do not enjoy the protection of men.”

For Bickham his series Those who walk and dream in the desert y open field They have their origins in their love for the human body and for nature, although now they have come together in something devastating. The constant transfers she suffered as a child made her feel like a “visitor.” He has also always professed great curiosity towards others: “I always had to know where he was.” From a young age he felt a natural inclination for “the underdog.”

Doña Helen was a great storyteller – apart from being an accomplished traveler – a skill that she transferred to her canvases and papers. The characters linked to their stories inhabit the paintings, in a kind of happy dance.

The work also projects a good relationship with its sitters, who are more like images from his head: “What interests me is the universality of humanity. I am very anti-war and anti-discrimination of any kind. I think that we can walk through streets where we do not know the language, however if we really look at people we realize their mental state even if it is blank, that is, that they do not pay attention.