The Art Monitor
January 2, 2022
Sculptor Anke Eilergerhard
On view at Anna Laudel Gallery, Berlin
Artnet news: December 6, 2021
“What You Need to Know: For more than 30 years, Berlin-based artist Anke Eilergerhard has experimented with ideas of “layer cakes” within her practice, in ways that are both humorous and profound. Since 2004 she has been creating sculptural swirls that are reminiscent of whipped cream. Her current exhibition “Hysterische Balance” (Hysterical Balance) at Anna Laudel Gallery brings together works the artist made over the course of the pandemic, including the exhibition’s titular work Hysterische Balance, a three-part sculptural ensemble of monumental works that resemble soft-serve ice cream dollops.
Why We Like It: Eilergerhard uses a type of silicone called polyorganosiloxane to create her signature “icing on the cake“ sculptures—a material used by DIYers and plastic surgeons alike. In this exhibition, the artist both continues to explore and expand upon her existing visual vocabulary towards imagery that resembles scientific imagery of spores and pollens.” Artnet news: December 6, 2021
Why I like it (as in TS Project Art): With the passing of yet another difficult year far and wide, on so many levels, and issues ongoing that are far too numerous to list. What the artist’s work elicits for me and speaks to, as in the exhibition's title “Hysterical Balance,” acknowledging the collective imbalance felt by all during these past two years. Eilergerhard choice of subject matter alludes to the ephemeral and impermanence of all things with a hint of humor necessary to make it digestible.
“My observations and experiences are the basis of all of my works. For me, it is about making things visible that I cannot put into words and that are nevertheless universal. A cake with a whipped cream top is a piece of heaven on earth. The whipped cream is for me the perfect sculptural form. It has something cosmic. It reflects the longing for paradise.” Anke Eilergerhard