Verena Issel
Verena Issel

Soundsoviele Thesen

Kunsthaus Erfurt, Germany

Verena Issel

In her site-specific exhibition Soundsoviele Thesen, Verena Issel responds directly to the history and context of Kunsthaus Erfurt. The title is a playful nod to Martin Luther, who famously lived in Erfurt for several years and is best known for his “95 Theses” that sparked the Reformation. Like Luther, Issel presents her own collection of “theses”—in the form of paintings.

One key element in the exhibition is the so-called Erfurter Raufasertapete, a textured wallpaper that, despite its name, did not originate in Erfurt but in West Germany. In East Germany, people creatively replicated it using Hasenstreu (wood shavings) and wall paint. Issel revives this DIY technique, using it as a foundation for wall paintings that serve as both background and concept for her works.

Through humor, history, and material exploration, Soundsoviele Thesen engages with place, perception, and the idea of personal proclamation.

(Johannes Barth)

INGREDIENTS:

  • Martins Bar 
  • Untitled 1 
  • Untitled 2 
  • Untitled 3 
  • Untitled 4
  • Fake Raufaser 
  • Lemon 
  • Untitled 5
  • Taking Trees 
  • Y 
  • Crazy Horst II
  • Untitled 6 
  • Untitled 7 
  • Untitled 8 
  • Untitled 9 

Soundso viele Thesen
2019, various works, carpet and fake Erfurt woodchip wallpaper made according to the GDR recipe with rabbit litter and wall paint, dimensions variable,
Installation view Kunst­haus Erfurt
Photo: Helge Mundt

Soundso viele Thesen
2019, various works, carpet and fake Erfurt woodchip wallpaper made according to the GDR recipe with rabbit litter and wall paint, dimensions variable,
Installation view Kunst­haus Erfurt
Photo: Helge Mundt

Soundso viele Thesen
2019, various works, carpet and fake Erfurt woodchip wallpaper made according to the GDR recipe with rabbit litter and wall paint, dimensions variable,
Installation view Kunst­haus Erfurt
Photo: Helge Mundt

Untitled 
2019, plastic, rubber, Styrofoam-­silicone and adhesive tape on ­Styrofoam, 100 × 50 cm
Installation view Kunst­haus Erfurt
Photo: Helge Mundt       

                 

Untitled 
2019, plastic, rubber, Styrofoam-­silicone and adhesive tape on ­Styrofoam, 100 × 50 cm
Installation view Kunst­haus Erfurt
Photo: Helge Mundt        

Untitled
2019, plastic, foam, rubber, Styrofoam-­silicone and adhesive tape on ­Styrofoam, 100 × 50 cm
Installation view Kunst­haus Erfurt
Photo: Helge Mundt         

Untitled
2019, plastic, rubber, Styrofoam-­silicone and adhesive tape on Styrofoam, 100 × 50 cm
Installation view Kunsthaus Erfurt
Photo: Helge Mundt

Untitled
2019, leather and ­Styrofoam on Styrofoam, 90 × 60 cm,
Installation view Kunst­haus Erfurt
Photo: Helge Mundt

Soundso viele Thesen
2019, various works, carpet and wall painting, dimensions variable,
Installation view Kunst­haus Erfurt
Photo: Helge Mundt

Martins Bar
2019, woodchip on stone, installation on the foundations of an old bar in which Martin Luther is said to have hung out as a student,
Installation view Kunst­haus Erfurt
Photo: Helge Mundt

Untitled
each 2018, felt on tar with plastic, 39 × 27 cm
Installation view Kunst­haus Erfurt
Photo: Helge Mundt