Lisa Anita Wegner

Research & Development into Creative Access

For over a decade, multidisciplinary artist Lisa Anita Wegner has poured immense detail and consistent energy into crafting her immersive universe projects. Her latest creation, Elsewhere (2025), a collaboration with award-winning director Eric Rose, is a touring iteration of her long-evolving work—designed specifically for contemporary public art spaces. But its roots run deep: Lisa has been intensively developing this body of multimedia work since January 2013.

Lisa lives with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a condition that brings severe pain and cognitive challenges. Yet, rather than hinder her creativity, it opened a new artistic path. In her keynote talk Art Saved My Life (2011), she describes how even the smallest daily practices in filmmaking and performance became lifelines—eventually building into a rich and substantial artistic legacy.

Haus of Dada & The Birth of a Universe

Her home studio, Haus of Dada (est. 2011), is a functioning micro-nation—complete with its own flag, currency, and stamps. Designed for accessibility, it’s a space where she can create regardless of her physical condition. Here, the Dada Dream Lab (2012) was born: years of daily short video and performance experiments that seeded what is now the Dada Universe.

Anchored in the aesthetics and ideals of 1920s–30s Weimar Berlin, Lisa coined the phrase “Liberation Through Dreaming” in 2014, marking the symbolic end of her old identity and the emergence of The Dada Family.

Realistic Confabulation: History Meets Fantasy

Through a practice Lisa calls Realistic Confabulation, true family histories and heirlooms are woven with fictional timelines and mythologies. This narrative forms The Fictitious History of the Haus of Dada, featuring three main characters:

• Mama Dada, born 1890 in Austria, is a fiercely anonymous performance artist and burlesque dancer—loosely inspired by Lisa’s real-life aunt Sigrid.
• Papa Dada, born 1910 in Latvia, is a magician and somatic practitioner based on her uncle Kostje. Though a middling artist, his devotion to Mama fuels the household.
• The Ubermarionette, their child, is a shapeshifting mirror to the viewer. Central to the Intangible Adorations series (2018–2022), this faceless figure plays over 200 roles—from mermaid to labourer, from superstar to surgeon.

Portals, Films & Time Travel

Mama Dada created nearly 200 silent black-and-white short films. One of the most notable installations, Triangle: Ascension into Another Golden Age (2014), premiered at Nuit Blanche and produced a Portal series of vivid art films, sensory experiences, and bespoke soundscapes—now featured in Elsewhere’s Time Travel Portal.

The Ubermarionette, reflecting whoever stands before them, traverses dimensions and timelines. Often disappearing due to their shared Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, they remain a symbol of vulnerability, mystery, and fame manufactured by public gaze.

A Universe Built from Absurdity and Truth

At its core, the Dada Universe invites us to dream boldly in dark times. Through absurdity, fictional family lore, and raw personal truth, Lisa Anita Wegner continues her mission: “Making the Mundane Marvelous.” Her ambitious, meticulously crafted projects have garnered robust funding and widespread acclaim.

When Lisa announces she is Lifting the Veil to Elsewhere, curators, collaborators, and audiences alike pay attention—eager to witness what’s next.

“Some artists are lateral thinkers, but Lisa thinks in all directions at once. She creates unique experiences that leave lasting sensory memories… a truly one-of-a-kind artist.”
— Scott White, Writer/Director, The Giant’s Garden

Tags: #ericrose #lisaanitawegner, accessibility, Canadian Art, canadian artist, creative development, haus of dada, lisaanitawegner, reidencies, research