🔗 Share this article

Should you be thinking about bathroom renovations, it might be wise to avoid engaging this German artist for such tasks.

Certainly, Herfeldt is a whiz with a silicone gun, producing intriguing artworks from this unlikely substance. Yet the more examine her creations, the stronger you realise that something seems somewhat off.

The dense lengths from the foam Herfeldt forms extend beyond their supports on which they sit, sagging off the edges below. Those twisted foam pipes bulge until they split. Certain pieces escape their acrylic glass box homes fully, turning into an attractor for dust and hair. It's safe to say the reviews might not get favorable.

At times I get the feeling that objects seem animated in a room,” remarks the German artist. This is why I turned to this foam material because it has such an organic feel and appearance.”

In fact there is an element almost visceral about the artist's creations, from that protruding shape jutting out, hernia-like, from the support in the centre of the gallery, or the gut-like spirals made of silicone that rupture as if in crisis. Displayed nearby, Herfeldt has framed prints depicting the sculptures captured in multiple views: resembling wormy parasites observed under magnification, or colonies on culture plates.

What captivates me is how certain elements in our bodies occurring which possess a life of their own,” she says. “Things you can’t see or control.”

Talking of elements beyond her influence, the exhibition advertisement for the show features a photograph showing a dripping roof at her creative space in Kreuzberg, Berlin. It was built in the early 1970s and according to her, faced immediate dislike from residents as numerous old buildings were torn down to allow its construction. By the time dilapidated as the artist – originally from Munich although she spent her youth near Hamburg prior to moving to the capital in her youth – moved in.

The rundown building was frustrating for the artist – it was risky to display the sculptures without fearing potential harm – but it was also fascinating. With no building plans on hand, no one knew how to repair any of the issues that developed. Once an overhead section at the artist's area was saturated enough it collapsed entirely, the sole fix meant swapping the damaged part – perpetuating the issue.

In a different area, the artist explains the water intrusion was severe that a series of shower basins were set up above the false roof to divert leaks to another outlet.

I understood that the structure was like a body, a totally dysfunctional body,” the artist comments.

This scenario evoked memories of a classic film, the director's first movie from the seventies featuring a smart spaceship which becomes autonomous. Additionally, observers may note from the show’s title – a trio of references – that’s not the only film to have influenced Herfeldt’s show. The three names indicate the female protagonists from a horror classic, the iconic thriller and the extraterrestrial saga in that order. The artist references a critical analysis written by Carol J Clover, that describes these surviving characters a distinctive cinematic theme – women left alone to overcome.

They often display toughness, on the silent side enabling their survival thanks to resourcefulness,” the artist explains about such characters. No drug use occurs or have sex. It is irrelevant who is watching, all empathize with the final girl.”

The artist identifies a parallel between these characters to her artworks – elements that barely holding in place despite the pressures affecting them. So is her work really concerning social breakdown beyond merely water damage? Similar to various systems, such components that should seal and protect from deterioration are actually slowly eroding around us.

“Absolutely,” responds the artist.

Before finding inspiration in the silicone gun, she experimented with other unusual materials. Recent shows included tongue-like shapes made from a synthetic material found in within outdoor gear or apparel lining. Once more, there's the sense such unusual creations might animate – some are concertinaed like caterpillars mid-crawl, pieces hang loosely from walls blocking passages collecting debris from touch (Herfeldt encourages viewers to touch and dirty her art). Similar to the foam artworks, those fabric pieces are similarly displayed in – and breaking out of – budget-style acrylic glass boxes. These are unattractive objects, which is intentional.

“They have a certain aesthetic which makes one highly drawn to, while also being quite repulsive,” Herfeldt remarks amusedly. “It attempts to seem absent, yet in reality highly noticeable.”

The artist does not create pieces that offer comfortable or beauty. Rather, she aims for unease, odd, perhaps entertained. But if you start to feel a moist sensation on your head additionally, remember this was foreshadowed.