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Should you be thinking about restroom upgrades, you may want to avoid employing this German artist for the job.

Truly, she's a whiz in handling foam materials, crafting fascinating artworks with a surprising medium. But the more observe her creations, the more you realise that an element seems somewhat strange.

The dense lengths of sealant she produces reach beyond the shelves on which they sit, hanging downwards to the ground. Those twisted tubular forms expand until they split. Some creations leave the display cases entirely, turning into a collector for dust and hair. One could imagine the ratings would not be favorable.

“I sometimes have an impression that items seem animated inside an area,” remarks the sculptor. This is why I came to use this foam material due to its this very bodily sensation and look.”

Certainly there is an element rather body horror about these sculptures, from that protruding shape that protrudes, like a medical condition, from the support within the showspace, and the winding tubes of foam that burst like medical emergencies. Along a surface, are mounted prints of the works viewed from different angles: appearing as squirming organisms picked up on a microscope, or formations on culture plates.

“It interests me that there are things inside human forms happening that also have their own life,” she says. “Things that are invisible or manage.”

On the subject of unmanageable factors, the exhibition advertisement featured in the exhibition displays a photograph of the leaky ceiling in her own studio in the German capital. It was erected decades ago as she explains, faced immediate dislike among the community as numerous historic structures were torn down to allow its construction. It was already run-down upon her – a native of that city yet raised near Hamburg prior to moving to the capital as a teenager – took up residence.

This decrepit property was frustrating for her work – she couldn’t hang her art works without fearing they might be damaged – but it was also fascinating. Without any blueprints on hand, nobody had a clue how to repair the problems that arose. Once an overhead section at the artist's area was saturated enough it fell apart fully, the only solution meant swapping it with another – and so the cycle continued.

In a different area, Herfeldt says dripping was extreme so multiple drainage containers were installed within the drop ceiling to channel leaks to another outlet.

I understood that this place was like a body, an entirely malfunctioning system,” the artist comments.

These conditions brought to mind a classic film, the initial work movie from the seventies featuring a smart spaceship which becomes autonomous. Additionally, observers may note through the heading – three distinct names – other cinematic works influenced shaping Herfeldt’s show. Those labels point to main characters in Friday 13th, the iconic thriller and Alien in that order. She mentions an academic paper from a scholar, outlining these “final girls” as a unique film trope – female characters isolated to triumph.

They often display toughness, rather quiet and they endure due to intelligence,” the artist explains about such characters. They avoid substances nor sexual activity. Regardless the audience's identity, we can all identify with the survivor.”

She draws a connection between these characters with her creations – things that are just about holding in place despite the pressures affecting them. So is her work really concerning social breakdown beyond merely dripping roofs? Similar to various systems, such components that should seal and protect us from damage are actually slowly eroding within society.

“Completely,” responds the artist.

Prior to discovering her medium with sealant applicators, she experimented with other unusual materials. Previous exhibitions have involved tongue-like shapes crafted from fabric similar to found in within outdoor gear or inside a jacket. Similarly, one finds the feeling these peculiar objects seem lifelike – certain pieces are folded like caterpillars mid-crawl, pieces hang loosely from walls or spill across doorways attracting dirt from footprints (Herfeldt encourages audiences to interact and soil the works). Similar to the foam artworks, those fabric pieces are also housed in – and breaking out of – inexpensive-seeming transparent cases. The pieces are deliberately unappealing, and really that’s the point.

“These works possess a certain aesthetic that somehow you feel highly drawn to, while also being quite repulsive,” Herfeldt remarks grinning. “It tries to be absent, but it’s actually extremely obvious.”

Herfeldt is not making art to provide relaxation or aesthetically soothed. Rather, she aims for uncomfortable, odd, maybe even amused. However, should you notice water droplets from above additionally, consider yourself the alert was given.