🔗 Share this article

When considering bathroom renovations, it might be wise not to choose hiring the sculptor to handle it.

Truly, she's an expert with a silicone gun, producing fascinating creations out of an unusual art material. Yet as you examine the artworks, the clearer it becomes apparent that something is a little off.

The dense lengths from the foam Herfeldt forms extend beyond the shelves supporting them, hanging downwards to the ground. The gnarled silicone strands expand till they rupture. Some creations leave their acrylic glass box homes completely, evolving into a magnet for grime and particles. Let's just say the reviews might not get favorable.

There are moments I feel this sense that objects seem animated in a room,” says the German artist. “That’s why I turned to this substance due to its a distinctly physical sensation and look.”

Certainly one can detect rather body horror in Herfeldt’s work, from the suggestive swelling which extends, hernia-like, off its base in the centre of the gallery, to the intestinal coils from the material that rupture as if in crisis. Displayed nearby, Herfeldt has framed prints of the works seen from various perspectives: they look like wormy parasites seen in scientific samples, or formations on culture plates.

I am fascinated by that there are things in our bodies taking place that seem to hold their own life,” Herfeldt explains. Phenomena that are invisible or command.”

Regarding unmanageable factors, the poster for the show displays an image showing a dripping roof in her own studio located in Berlin. It was erected decades ago and, she says, was instantly hated among the community because a lot of old buildings were torn down for its development. It was already in a state of disrepair upon her – originally from Munich although she spent her youth north of Hamburg prior to moving to the capital as a teenager – began using the space.

This decrepit property proved challenging for her work – it was risky to display her art works without concern risk of ruin – yet it also proved intriguing. Lacking architectural drawings accessible, nobody had a clue the way to fix the problems which occurred. When the ceiling panel at the artist's area got thoroughly soaked it gave way completely, the single remedy involved installing the panel with a new one – and so the cycle continued.

In a different area, she describes dripping was extreme that a series of collection units were set up in the suspended ceiling to divert the moisture elsewhere.

I understood that this place acted as a physical form, a completely flawed entity,” Herfeldt states.

This scenario brought to mind a classic film, the director's first movie from the seventies about an AI-powered spacecraft which becomes autonomous. As the exhibition's title suggests through the heading – Alice, Laurie & Ripley – that’s not the only film to have influenced the artist's presentation. Those labels point to the female protagonists in the slasher film, Halloween and the extraterrestrial saga as listed. Herfeldt cites a 1987 essay by the American professor, outlining the last women standing as a unique film trope – protagonists by themselves to save the day.

“She’s a bit tomboyish, on the silent side enabling their survival due to intelligence,” she elaborates about such characters. “They don’t take drugs nor sexual activity. And it doesn’t matter who is watching, we can all identify with the final girl.”

The artist identifies a parallel linking these figures to her artworks – objects which only staying put despite the pressures they face. Is the exhibition more about cultural decay beyond merely water damage? Because like so many institutions, substances like silicone that should seal and protect from deterioration are gradually failing around us.

“Absolutely,” she confirms.

Earlier in her career in the silicone gun, the artist worked with different unconventional substances. Recent shows have involved forms resembling tongues using a synthetic material you might see within outdoor gear or in coats. Similarly, one finds the feeling these strange items could come alive – a few are compressed resembling moving larvae, others lollop down off surfaces blocking passages collecting debris from touch (Herfeldt encourages people to handle leaving marks on pieces). Like the silicone sculptures, those fabric pieces also occupy – and escaping from – budget-style transparent cases. The pieces are deliberately unappealing, which is intentional.

“The sculptures exhibit a particular style that somehow you feel highly drawn to, and at the same time they’re very disgusting,” the artist comments grinning. “It attempts to seem absent, but it’s actually very present.”

The artist does not create work to make you feel relaxation or visual calm. Conversely, her intention is to evoke discomfort, odd, maybe even amused. However, should you notice a moist sensation on your head too, remember you haven’t been warned.