Whisper Down the Lane –
Carolina Lehan

In their earliest Greek appearance, sirens were hybrid beings, part woman, part bird, who inhabited coastal rocks and liminal spaces. In the Middle Ages, their image gradually transformed into that of the mermaid. This transformation reflects broader perceptions of femininity shaped through myth and archetype, in which the female figure is repeatedly cast as frightening or dangerous, before being altered into a more pleasant, seductive form. In For the Time Being, a siren and a mermaid appear together as a pair. They are presented as companions entwined in song and pathos, offering a renewal of their mythic presence not as temptresses but as witnesses to the enduring complexity of love. Their presence evokes centuries of close, intimate relationships between women that have often been marginalized, distorted, or erased.

The central sculpture is accompanied by two smaller elements. They resemble pieces of a torn note whose text is no longer legible. While visiting the Jewish Museum in Berlin, Lehan encountered a love letter, dating from Germany in 1943. It was written by a Jewish woman to her German female lover, detailing the vows she makes to her. Throughout history, love letters have served as testimonies to intimate human relationships, bearing traces of their historical, political and social conditions. They offer a close look at individuals‘ day-to-day lives, their emotions and most private thoughts. Interweaving mythical and historical notions, Lehan’s installation unfolds like a love letter that was never written: a gesture tenderly offered but never fully delivered, nor definitively answered.