A consistent interest in the portrayal of heroic or propagandist
figures, acts and symbols in their countless forms often provides a
starting point for von Köhler's work. It references historical,
religious and political propaganda and iconography in art, toys, junk
shop trinkets, the media and public spaces. The body of works
consisting of fleshy and majestically winged, sexually ambiguous,
lingerie wearing figures have their particular starting point in the
long history of mythical childlike figures in sculpture, which
culminated in eroticized 18th century putti, amorini and cherubs. This
is combined with a collage of references such as fashion and fast car
advertising, and soft/alternative pornography model profiles and
shoots. The underlying feeling permeating the work is a sense of living
up to a seedy, desperately coveted yet sinisterly unattainable,
non-existent ideology.

As with many types of 'advertising monuments,' a vacuous gathering of
elements merged to create a transparent instrument of propaganda is
often so commonplace that one is generally desensitized and indifferent
to its frequently patronizing and/or offensive nature. With hindsight
society is shocked or amused at the contents of past propaganda, but
predominantly only when dictated to by modern dogma that the moral code
previously imposed was inappropriate. This age-old inescapable cycle of
necessity for hero worship and Gods, ideals to be embodied and how
things come to reflect this need is central to the work.

Von Kohler's sculpture, originally modeled in clay, cast in fiberglass
then carefully hand-painted are skilfully crafted, figurative
sculptures. Typically she employs this broad amalgamation of
references, to produce a rich yet elusive art object that can evade a
linear reading.