Cornelia Herfurtner utilizes wood as material and relief as form. Her work often portrays everyday objects on portable shields, taking inspiration from West-Germany legal history, where these objects were negotiated as so-called protective weapons. Herfurtner’s practice raises and answers questions such as “What does it mean for society if the defensive moment of protecting oneself is understood offensive? To protect themselves, what practices of caring for oneself and others do people develop? What is the role of public space in this?”

Cornelia Herfurtner has exhibited work at after the butcher, Berlin; very project space, Berlin; and Mélange, Cologne, among others.