🔗 Share this article

If you're planning restroom upgrades, it might be wise not to choose hiring the sculptor to handle it.

Certainly, Herfeldt is highly skilled using sealant applicators, crafting compelling artworks with a surprising substance. However longer you observe these pieces, the more you realise that something feels slightly unnerving.

The dense strands of sealant Herfeldt forms stretch past their supports on which they sit, sagging off the edges towards the floor. The knotty foam pipes bulge until they split. Certain pieces break free from the display cases entirely, becoming an attractor for grime and particles. It's safe to say the feedback would not be pretty.

At times I get this sense that items seem animated within a space,” states Herfeldt. “That’s why I turned to this substance due to its a distinctly physical sensation and look.”

In fact there’s something rather body horror in the artist's creations, from the phallic bulge that protrudes, hernia-like, from the support at the exhibition's heart, or the gut-like spirals made of silicone which split open resembling bodily failures. Displayed nearby, the artist presents prints depicting the sculptures captured in multiple views: resembling squirming organisms picked up on a microscope, or growths on a petri-dish.

“It interests me is how certain elements in our bodies taking place that also have independent existence,” she says. Phenomena which remain unseen or manage.”

Regarding unmanageable factors, the poster for the show includes an image of water damage overhead within her workspace located in Berlin. Constructed built in the early 1970s and according to her, was quickly despised among the community because a lot of old buildings were removed to allow its construction. It was already dilapidated upon her – originally from Munich but grew up near Hamburg prior to moving to the capital in her youth – took up residence.

This deteriorating space was frustrating for the artist – placing artworks was difficult her pieces anxiously they might be damaged – yet it also proved intriguing. Without any blueprints on hand, nobody had a clue how to repair the problems which occurred. When the ceiling panel in Herfeldt’s studio got thoroughly soaked it gave way completely, the sole fix meant swapping it with another – thus repeating the process.

At another site, Herfeldt says the leaking was so bad that a series of shower basins got placed above the false roof to divert the moisture elsewhere.

I understood that the structure was like a body, a completely flawed entity,” Herfeldt states.

This scenario reminded her of Dark Star, the director's first cinematic piece featuring a smart spaceship that develops independence. Additionally, observers may note from the show’s title – a trio of references – that’s not the only film to have influenced this exhibition. Those labels refer to the leading women in Friday 13th, the iconic thriller and the extraterrestrial saga respectively. She mentions an academic paper by the American professor, that describes the last women standing an original movie concept – female characters isolated to save the day.

These figures are somewhat masculine, reserved in nature and they endure because she’s quite clever,” the artist explains regarding this trope. No drug use occurs or engage intimately. It is irrelevant the audience's identity, all empathize with the survivor.”

Herfeldt sees a similarity linking these figures and her sculptures – objects which only staying put under strain they face. Is the exhibition focused on societal collapse rather than simply dripping roofs? Because like so many institutions, substances like silicone that should seal and protect from deterioration are gradually failing around us.

“Completely,” responds the artist.

Earlier in her career with sealant applicators, Herfeldt used other unusual materials. Past displays featured tongue-like shapes using fabric similar to typical for in insulated clothing or inside a jacket. Similarly, one finds the impression these peculiar objects seem lifelike – certain pieces are folded like caterpillars mid-crawl, some droop heavily off surfaces or extend through entries gathering grime from contact (The artist invites audiences to interact leaving marks on pieces). As with earlier creations, these nylon creations are similarly displayed in – leaving – budget-style transparent cases. These are unattractive objects, and that's the essence.

“The sculptures exhibit a certain aesthetic which makes one very attracted to, while also appearing gross,” the artist comments with a smile. “It tries to be absent, but it’s actually extremely obvious.”

Herfeldt is not making art to provide ease or beauty. Rather, she aims for discomfort, odd, or even humor. However, should you notice something wet dripping on your head as well, remember the alert was given.