Art Cyssan, Helen Beard

At a time of forbidden human contact, Helen Beard’s high-octane artworks of erotic tactility pack a greater punch. Flat in colour and rich in sensuality, her paintings are unapologetic in their celebration of female empowerment and sexual experience. Her highly distinctive style has resulted in sell-out shows at Reflex Amsterdam and Newport Street Gallery: Damien Hirst is one of her greatest champions. She often uses pornographic online material as inspiration, wanting to paint in ‘an exciting, fresh way that doesn’t involve shame or prudishness and opens up possibilities of talking about the subject without being shy.’ In its depiction of an androgynous couple kissing, Cyssan has become one of her cult hits.