today till now II: Daniela Steinfeld (translated from German)

„Born to be Kings“ is the title of the photographic series with which Daniela Steinfeld left the
Düsseldorf Kunstakademie as Masterstudent of Bernd Becher. The idea for this work wasn‘t
developed in the Becher-class though, but in the studios of the class of Jan Dibbets,
where Daniela Steinfeld filmed herself with a videocamera playing soccer. At some point she
started stuffing the balls underneath her shirt, and so strangely bumped figures came into existence,
which since then populate her pictures.

Performance, sculpture and photography blend into each other during the making of her works,
and a corner of the studio is sufficient for this experimental process. Daniela Steinfeld photographs
her „Marshmellowmen“ like sculptures , and the energy of the action which builds up the form, jumps
over to the photo. The transformation, in which the artist as in a ritual becomes something Other,
is a kind of „Soulsafari“ (so a title of a work from 2000), in which the inside turns outside.
„Perhaps inside we‘re a bit weird“, says the artist - „crippled inside“, as John Lennon sings -
and she sees in her work an „attempt to come closer to reality.“

This reality takes on highly varied forms and includes for Daniela Steinfeld the collective unconscious
as well as Role-Models and Hero-Clichées. After the sportsmen-pictures („Giants“, 1997) she staged
herself during a residency in Marfa, Texas, as Cowboy fallen out of form, Batman or Cheerleader,
but these pictures were, in the home of Minimal-Art-Artist Donald Judd, rather seen as a satire of
american culture.

Foamgatherings in pantyhosecovers („Foamies“, 1998) extend the peculiar anatomies on to the
„Sexy Sadie Series“ of 2001, in which the whole body appears to be grotesquely strange. In the
light-cone of a spotlight the poses oscillate between Peepshow and Freakshow. Frenzied laughter,
absurd humor and deep tragedy lie close together. The title of the Series seems to be interpretable
in various directions (in the word „Sadies“ you can find the „sadist“ as well as „sad“ and „dies“), but it
is taken from a song in which the Beatles expressed their experiences with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Music and especially songtexts are - next to the interest in film and theatre - important reference points
for Daniela Steinfeld. Besides this it‘s especially about the power of the respective visual staging.
The Repertoire goes from Punk and New Wave („My Muscles are Machines“ after a song by the Krupps,
is a series of works titled, which incorporates sportsmen and airplane-engines) to classical: the landscape
photograph of a model hanging in a tree from the series „Kingley Vale“ (2000) was titled“Afternoon“
in reference to Debussys Ballet-Piece „L‘apres midi d‘un faune“.

Animal masks, wings and fur come to use as accessoires, when the artist explores playfully the various
forms of transformations, transitions and metamorphoses. In her most recent work Daniela Steinfeld is
roaming around in public spaces. The body contortions are drawn back in favour of emphazising the used
materials. An aluminium-foil wraps the body, providing protection and a place to hide. („1-Unit Aluman Plain“,
2001). In times of nuclear catastrophes such a monstrous beauty seems to be absolutely plausible. Another
unusual material is bubblewrap, which normally is used to pack works of art. If a being, wrapped in bubblewrap,
lies on its back in the gutter, can this be anything else but art? But is this simultaneously not also a picture for
life, the real and imaginary life, damaged and in need of protection? On display is a psychological constitution,
which urges with untamable power to the surface. The figures of Daniela Steinfeld are inner Outsiders, whose
strange beauty announces the future: „We are the flowers in the dustbin, we are the future, your future“ (Sex Pistols).


Dieter Scholz
museum kunst palast 2002



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