Unveiling Lisa Herfeldt's Eerie Silicone-Gun Art: In Which Things Seem Animated

If you're planning bathroom renovations, it might be wise not to choose engaging this German artist for such tasks.

Certainly, she's an expert using sealant applicators, creating compelling sculptures out of an unusual medium. Yet the more observe the artworks, the more you realise that something seems somewhat off.

Those hefty strands of sealant she produces extend over the shelves supporting them, sagging downwards below. Those twisted silicone strands bulge until they split. Certain pieces escape their transparent enclosures completely, evolving into an attractor for dust and hair. It's safe to say the feedback might not get favorable.

“I sometimes have an impression that objects are alive within a space,” says the German artist. Hence I started using silicone sealant as it offers a distinctly physical texture and feeling.”

In fact one can detect almost visceral regarding the artist's creations, from that protruding shape which extends, similar to a rupture, from the support within the showspace, or the gut-like spirals of foam that rupture like medical emergencies. Along a surface, the artist presents photocopies showing the pieces captured in multiple views: resembling wormy parasites picked up on a microscope, or colonies in a lab setting.

I am fascinated by that there are things within us happening which possess independent existence,” the artist notes. “Things you can’t see or control.”

Talking of unmanageable factors, the exhibition advertisement featured in the exhibition includes a picture showing a dripping roof in her own studio in Kreuzberg, Berlin. Constructed built in the early 1970s and according to her, was quickly despised among the community because a lot of older edifices got demolished to allow its construction. The place was run-down when Herfeldt – originally from Munich although she spent her youth near Hamburg then relocating to Berlin in her youth – took up residence.

This deteriorating space was frustrating for the artist – she couldn’t hang her pieces anxiously they might be damaged – yet it also proved compelling. Lacking architectural drawings accessible, nobody had a clue methods to address the problems that developed. When the ceiling panel at the artist's area was saturated enough it gave way completely, the sole fix was to replace the damaged part – perpetuating the issue.

In a different area, Herfeldt says the leaking was so bad that a series of collection units were set up within the drop ceiling to divert the moisture elsewhere.

It dawned on me that the building resembled an organism, a totally dysfunctional body,” Herfeldt states.

The situation reminded her of a classic film, the initial work 1974 film featuring a smart spaceship that develops independence. And as you might notice given the naming – three distinct names – that’s not the only film to have influenced the artist's presentation. Those labels refer to the leading women from a horror classic, Halloween and Alien as listed. Herfeldt cites a 1987 essay from a scholar, outlining these surviving characters a distinctive cinematic theme – female characters isolated to overcome.

They often display toughness, on the silent side and they endure because she’s quite clever,” the artist explains about such characters. No drug use occurs or have sex. Regardless who is watching, we can all identify with this character.”

She draws a similarity from these protagonists with her creations – things that are just about maintaining position under strain they’re under. Is the exhibition more about cultural decay than just dripping roofs? Similar to various systems, these materials meant to insulate and guard from deterioration in fact are decaying in our environment.

“Oh, totally,” says Herfeldt.

Earlier in her career with sealant applicators, Herfeldt used different unconventional substances. Previous exhibitions featured tongue-like shapes made from the kind of nylon fabric you might see within outdoor gear or in coats. Again there is the impression these peculiar objects could come alive – some are concertinaed like caterpillars mid-crawl, others lollop down from walls or spill across doorways collecting debris from touch (Herfeldt encourages viewers to touch leaving marks on pieces). Like the silicone sculptures, these nylon creations are also housed in – and escaping from – cheap looking transparent cases. These are unattractive objects, which is intentional.

“They have a certain aesthetic which makes one compelled by, while also they’re very disgusting,” Herfeldt remarks amusedly. “It attempts to seem invisible, but it’s actually highly noticeable.”

Herfeldt is not making work to make you feel ease or aesthetically soothed. Rather, her intention is to evoke unease, strange, or even humor. And if there's water droplets overhead as well, consider yourself the alert was given.