Helene Carroll

"I have a strong need to tell the story of my family, of their extraordinary experiences and of their amazing survival." ~ Helene Carroll.

Speaking to Helen Forlong in 2000, Helene Carroll refers to the miraculous survival of both her parents and one grandfather through the holocaust of World War Two. Born in Paris, France, Carroll emigrated to Aotearoa as a child in 1949. While living at a physical distance from those events, they were present in the daily reminders of the loss of so many family members and the tell-tale tattoo marking her mother’s wrist. Helene works in a wide range of media including ceramics, prints on canvas and painting,and her work often includes the symbols and icons of her Polish Jewish ancestry.

See also:

• Helen Forlong, 'Not Such a Still Life', The New Zealand Jewish Chronicle, April 2000.
• 'Helene Carroll – Recent Paintings 2012 – 2017' exhibition at Aratoi, Wairarapa Museum of Art and History