Mimi Minus on the escalator of horror. Mara Mattuschka's alter ego once again sets off on a tour de force of physical renunciation. First she goes into a tumble when the ground is pulled out from under her feet. Caught in a weightless space, she undergoes a strange metamorphosis. Mimi's body is subjected to unnatural forces and gradually deforms, her skin ruptures and - as if the human shell were only an intermediate stage in the process of evolution - is shed like a cocoon; a reptilian monster emerges.

In her own inimitable way, as is familiar from her 16mm films, performance artist Mara Mattuschka's new work (the first on video) ironically addresses the construction of identity and physical homogeneity. In ID elements of the horror-movie genre are given an explicitly trashy look in a fresh and carefree manner, the intention being a witty game with components of pop-culture codes (for example, the latex masks and the use of simple digital backgrounds and effects are excellent). After returning to a now surreal world, this creature meets its doppelgänger, engaging in a weird mating ritual with itself, so to speak. This leads to a cannibalistic conclusion, an act that almost takes us back to the front of the escalator in an impossible circular turn. Almost, because each transformation represents a simultaneous shift. But the "thing" is more persistent than we think and always leaves something behind. (Gerald Weber)