Helen Birnbaum’s sculptures reflect the precarious nature of humanity and the natural world. Birnbaum produces both large scale installations and much smaller works that reflect human experience. Society, and science are approached in a questioning way and the starting point of much of her work is contemporary society. Consumer culture, digital obsession and environmental recklessness are depicted using a mixture of ceramic and society’s discarded materials.

Birnbaum’s work has featured in many exhibitions including Shed Salty Tears which was exhibited during the Venice Biennale, 2025, at the ‘Art for the Planet’ exhibition. TERRA FIRMA Leaky Boat was shown at Cop26 in Glasgow in 2021 and later that year in the Glastonbury Festival Arts Science tent.  In 2023 the National Grid used images of the work in a ground-breaking report about the impact of climate change. Notable exhibitions include the Gordon Pathology Museum, Guy’s Hospital London; the ARB Gallery Cambridge; the World Museum, Liverpool and ARTBOX Basel, Switzerland. She has also exhibited twice in Athens and once in Sao Paulo Brazil at the Natura exhibition. Birnbaum has exhibited twice in the Glastonbury Festival Art Science tent, and in Spitalfields, London.

In 2018 Birnbaum received the Victoria & Albert Museum & Morley Gallery Ceramics prize. In 2020 the Victoria Museum Liverpool purchased Coronavirus 2020, for their Permanent Collection followed by Liverpool University, in 2021, who purchased Antibacterial Animals for theirs.  Resident ceramic artist at Liverpool Hope University in 2014 and in 2023 with Blackpool School of Arts where she created the Shed Salty Tears ceramic & mixed media installation about the bleaching of the sea bed and beach pollution. .