🔗 Share this article

If you're planning washroom remodeling, you may want to avoid hiring Lisa Herfeldt for such tasks.

Indeed, she's an expert with a silicone gun, crafting intriguing sculptures from this unlikely medium. Yet as you observe these pieces, the more you realise a certain aspect is a little unnerving.

Those hefty lengths made of silicone she crafts reach over display surfaces where they rest, hanging over the sides to the ground. The knotty tubular forms bulge till they rupture. Some creations leave their acrylic glass box homes entirely, evolving into a magnet for grime and particles. One could imagine the ratings are unlikely to earn pretty.

There are moments I feel an impression that things seem animated within a space,” remarks the German artist. “That’s why I started using this foam material as it offers a distinctly physical texture and feeling.”

Certainly there’s something rather body horror in these sculptures, starting with that protruding shape that protrudes, hernia-like, from the support within the showspace, or the gut-like spirals made of silicone which split open as if in crisis. On one wall, Herfeldt has framed prints of the works captured in multiple views: appearing as microscopic invaders seen in scientific samples, or growths on culture plates.

“It interests me is the idea within us occurring which possess a life of their own,” she says. “Things that are invisible or manage.”

On the subject of unmanageable factors, the promotional image for the show features a photograph of water damage overhead at her creative space in the German capital. Constructed erected decades ago as she explains, faced immediate dislike among the community because a lot of older edifices were removed for its development. The place was run-down as the artist – who was born in Munich although she spent her youth near Hamburg prior to moving to the capital in her youth – took up residence.

This decrepit property caused issues to Herfeldt – it was risky to display her pieces without concern they might be damaged – but it was also compelling. With no building plans available, it was unclear methods to address any of the issues which occurred. Once an overhead section in Herfeldt’s studio became so sodden it fell apart fully, the single remedy meant swapping the panel with a new one – perpetuating the issue.

Elsewhere on the property, Herfeldt says the water intrusion was severe so multiple shower basins got placed above the false roof in order to redirect the moisture elsewhere.

It dawned on me that this place was like a body, a completely flawed entity,” the artist comments.

This scenario reminded her of the sci-fi movie, the initial work 1974 film concerning a conscious ship that develops independence. As the exhibition's title suggests given the naming – a trio of references – that’s not the only film shaping this exhibition. The three names point to the female protagonists in the slasher film, Halloween and the extraterrestrial saga in that order. She mentions an academic paper from a scholar, which identifies the last women standing a distinctive cinematic theme – women left alone to overcome.

They often display toughness, on the silent side and they endure because she’s quite clever,” the artist explains regarding this trope. No drug use occurs or have sex. Regardless the viewer’s gender, all empathize with the final girl.”

She draws a connection linking these figures to her artworks – things that are just about maintaining position under strain they’re under. Is the exhibition really concerning social breakdown than just leaky ceilings? As with many structures, substances like silicone meant to insulate and guard against harm are actually slowly eroding within society.

“Completely,” she confirms.

Before finding inspiration in the silicone gun, Herfeldt used other unusual materials. Past displays featured organic-looking pieces using a synthetic material you might see in insulated clothing or in coats. Again there is the feeling these peculiar objects could come alive – some are concertinaed as insects in motion, others lollop down on vertical planes or spill across doorways gathering grime from contact (The artist invites viewers to touch and dirty her art). As with earlier creations, those fabric pieces also occupy – leaving – cheap looking display enclosures. These are unattractive objects, and that's the essence.

“They have a certain aesthetic that somehow you feel very attracted to, yet simultaneously appearing gross,” Herfeldt remarks grinning. “The art aims for not there, but it’s actually highly noticeable.”

The artist does not create art to provide comfortable or visual calm. Rather, she wants you to feel uncomfortable, odd, perhaps entertained. And if there's something wet dripping from above additionally, remember this was foreshadowed.