THE SILENT NEIGHBOR is a performative work by Veronika Merklein, shown as part of a satellite program during the local arts festival „Tatort Hernals“. For three days, three hours a day, the artist stood silently on a pedestal in her ground-floor apartment – seemingly hanging from a helium-filled smiley-face balloon. The only way to see the performance was through an open window from the street.

The image was surreal: In an illusionistic staging – with the pedestal disappearing into the background – a body floating in stillness, cheerful on the surface, yet deeply unsettling. At night, a video loop showed her face forming a slow, artificial smile. As the smile widened, rotten teeth were revealed – a symbol of hidden pain behind polished appearances.

The work speaks to emotional isolation, the pressure to appear fine, and the loneliness that online and offline often hides behind forced smiles. The use of the smiley face refers to digital communication, where feelings are reduced to symbols. In this context, the smile becomes a mask and a warning.

Many passersby stopped to watch. Some were curious; some confused; some disturbed. Two women were so concerned that they called emergency services.

With THE SILENT NEIGHBOR, Merklein turned her private space into a stage for one of today’s most pressing mental health issues: loneliness. The silent neighbor could be anyone – present but unreachable, visible but emotionally cut off.

Performance 3 x 3 hrs and video (HD, 4:27min) looped for 3 nights, flexible timespan, shown at:
– in the framework of „Tatort Hernals“, satellite station Gschwandnergasse 59, 1170 Vienna (AT)