William Burroughs said of Helnwein: "It is the function of the artist to evoke the experience of surprised recognition: to show the viewer what he knows but does not know that he knows.
Vilijem Barouz rekao je o Helnvajnu: „Funkcija je umetnika da priziva iskustvo iznenađenog prepoznavanja: da pokaže posmatraču šta zna, ali ne zna da zna.