ALICE HERBST

Alice Herbst’s paintings begin as physical constructions and end as quiet psychological spaces. Built from handmade sets, props, and staged scenes, her work explores how identity, memory, and imagination are shaped through performance - both on stage and in everyday life. Rather than telling fixed stories, Herbst creates situations that feel familiar yet unresolved, inviting viewers to step into worlds where reality and fiction gently overlap.

Herbst’s practice moves between painting, performance, and staged construction, using the language of theatre and set-building to explore how meaning is formed. Her paintings are not direct representations of the world but carefully constructed situations - spaces where identity, emotion, and perception are tested and left open to interpretation.

She begins each work by building temporary environments in her studio from simple materials such as cardboard, paper, and fabric, and by using handmade props. These fragile sets are photographed and translated into oil paintings, with traces of their physical origins intentionally left visible. Figures often appear within these spaces, sometimes portrayed by the artist herself. Masked, costumed, or partially concealed, they function less as individuals and more as shifting stand-ins, while recurring objects act as emotional markers rather than fixed symbols. The works suggest moments of pause - scenes that feel caught between what has just happened and what might come next - allowing viewers to enter without being directed toward a single meaning.