“Art is freedom, freedom is love, love is art.”

My paintings hold up a mirror to the viewer, inviting reflection on one’s own freedom. Only those willing to let go of both external and self-imposed ideals can truly love themselves. Through my work, I want to encourage liberation — because only those who love themselves are capable of love.

Development is only possible when the safety of social conformity is sacrificed for love.

“Only those who let others be free are truly free.”

My figures rise to the level of icons because they are nothing but themselves. They are liberated from external influences such as expectations, opinions, and criticism — and thus free from any form of oppression. Each of them embodies different values and emotions, yet all share one foundation: absolute self-determination.

My art celebrates self-love as a necessity of evolution. For me, this also means setting meaningful principles and striving to live by them. Only in this way can a state of self-love be achieved — one that inevitably generates love.

My work stands against the conformity we allow to be imposed upon us, that we impose upon ourselves, and that we impose upon others. It encourages questioning social norms and, when necessary, breaking away from them. It calls for liberation from rules that restrict individuality and for opening one’s eyes to personal freedom.

Only then can both personal and societal progress occur.

Ciril Helbock, born in 1989 in Tettnang, Germany, studied 3D Art & Animation in Frankfurt am Main. He lives and works in Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance.