ABOUT

Originally from Montreal and now based in California’s East Bay, Côté has lived andworked as an artist and graphic designer in Paris, where her work was at “The 1984Salon d’Automne”, New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas, Toronto, San Francisco andthe East Bay. When The Pratt Institute closed their Manhattan campus in 1986 sheand a small group of printmakers founded the Manhattan Graphics Center, an artist-run studio in SOHO, still viable today. In the East Bay she joined the KALA ArtInstitute in Berkeley and became VP/Acting President of the California Society ofPrintmakers. During COVID, working in a group studio was not an option, so HélènePaulette transitioned to painting acrylic on wood panels, and through explorationshe developed her dimensional style. Côté now works at The Compound Gallery &Studios, a multi-disciplinary space in Emeryville, and integral part of the SF EastBay artist scene.


ARTIST STATEMENT

Exploring the boundaries of shape, colour, and space. Rooted in my background in graphic design, the ad-world mantra “think outside the box,” and earlier work in silkscreen, my practice integrates these influences, asking: Can an image exist beyond its surface? Here, the “box” becomes the panel, challenging the expectation that an image remains contained within its edges. I respond to this with boldly coloured paintings that use dimensional elements of wood and wire to create shapes extending beyond the surface, engaging light and producing shadow and depth. Whether abstract or stylized figurative art, these sculptural interventions push the boundaries between the image’s internal space and the viewer’s external space. In a world of flat interfaces and instant scrolling, my work requires active participation and discovery from the viewer to be fully appreciated.


SHOW HIGHLIGHTS


PARIS
– 1984 Salon d’Automne. Group show

NEW YORK CITY
– Ward Nasse
– Public Image
– Harper Collins
– Jewel Speigel
– Sylvan Cole
– John Szoke

BAY AREA
– The Little Raven Gallery, SOMA. Camp Fluff Group show
– Arts of Point Richmond, Post Office Gallery
– Arc Gallery, SF “Word Play”, group show
– Point Richmond Gallery. “FourSight”, four women artists
– Voss Gallery, SF. “Salon des Refusés. Group show
– Marin MOCA. “AbstrACTION”, group show
– Arc Studio & Gallery. “SNAP” group show
– Berkeley Art Center, group shows
– Kala Gallery, group shows
– SF Women’s Art Gallery, group shows
– Green Chair gallery, group shows
– Emmery Arts, group shows
– Art Quest, group shows

OTHER
– Jen Tough Gallery “Resident Artist Exhibition 2026”, group show
– Jen Tough Gallery, “COLLECT THEM ALL!” Small works, group show
– Hard Times Gallery, London. Group show
– ARTBOX Projects, Zurich. Group show
– Taller Galleria Fort, Cadaqués. “Mini Print International” group show
– Del Bello Gallery, Toronto. “Small Works” group show
– Jen Tough Gallery, Santa Fe. “2024-25 Residency” group show
– LA Art Fair 2026, Jen Tough Gallery “2025 Collective” group show
– Zone Gallery, New York City. “A Printmaker’s Point of View” curator, group show
– The Manhattan Graphics Center, New York City. Founding Member. Various group shows
– Berkeley Art Center, Board Member. Various group shows
– California Society of Printmakers, VP/Acting President. Various group shows
– Arts of Point Richmond, Committee Member. Various group shows

PUBLIC WORKS
– Earth Island, Berkeley Utility Box Project


PRESS
–  Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

EXPLORING THE BOUNDARIES OF SHAPES, COLOR, AND SPACE

Inspired by my years in graphic design and the ad-world mantra “think outside the box,” and earlier work as a silkscreen artist, my paintings combine these skills with a passion for spatial experimentation that pushes the images beyond the edge of the panel using dowels, wood, and wire. The bold colour and shapes, coupled with sculptural extensions, play with light, shadow, and depth—challenging the boundary between two- and three-dimensional space to explore how colour, form, and environment interact to engage the viewer beyond the flat surface.


BIO

Originally from Montréal and now based in California’s East Bay, Côté has lived and worked as an artist and graphic designer in Paris, where early on her work was shown at The 1984 Salon d’Automne. From there she moved to  New York City and kept on moving to Los Angeles, Dallas, Toronto, San Francicso and now the SF Bay area. In Manhattan she continued printmaking at The Pratt Institute and when they closed the Manhattan campus she and a group of printmakers founded the Manhattan Graphics Center, an artist-run studio in SOHO. She eventually became a member of the KALA Art Institute in Berkeley. During COVID, working in a group studio was not an option, so Hélène Paulette transitioned to painting acrylic on wood panels, adding dimensional elements to play with light and shadow in unexpected ways. Her current studio is at The Compound Gallery & Studios, a multi-disciplinary space in Emeryville, and integral part of the SF East Bay artist scene.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS


PARIS
– 1984 Salon d’Automne. Group show

 

NEW YORK CITY 
- Ward Nasse, Public Image, Harper Collins, Jewel Speigel, Sylvan Cole, and 
  John Szoke Galleries, SOHO. Various group shows 
- Zone Gallery in SOHO. Curator, “A Printmaker’s Point of View” group show
- Manhattan Graphic Center. SOHO> Various group shows

 

BAY AREA:

– Arc Gallery, SF “Word Play”, group show

– Point Richmond Gallery. “FourSight”, four women artists 

– Voss Gallery, SF. “Salon des Refusés. Group show

– Marin MOCA. “AbstrACTION”, group show

– Arc Studio & Gallery. “SNAP” group show

– Berkeley Art Center, group shows
– Kala Gallery, group shows
– SF Women’s Art Gallery, group shows
– Green Chair gallery, group shows
– Emmery Arts, group shows
– Art Quest, group shows

 

OTHER

– Jen Tough Gallery, “COLLECT THEM ALL!” Small works, group show

– Hard Times Gallery, London. Group show

– ARTBOX Projects, Zurich. Group show

– Taller Galleria Fort, Cadaqués. “Mini Print International” group show

– Del Bello Galllery, Toronto. “Small Works” group show

– Jen Tough Gallery, Santa Fe. “2024-25 Residency” group show
– LA Art Fair. With the Jen Tough Gallery “2025 Collective” this January

– Founding Member of the Manhattan Graphics Center, NY