Louisa Bristol’s Indecorous — Through Our Lens, From the Studio Floor

When we first met Louisa Bristol, it was the summer of 2024. We were in the early stages of prepping for The Divine Feminine, the biggest show Soul Theory had done at the time. That project was all about building space for women artists to express themselves freely, safely, and unapologetically. Emma Adler was the first artist we brought in for it — and she’s the one who introduced us to Louisa.

Back then, Louisa stepped into our world as our very first intern. She was quiet, curious, and always ready to get her hands dirty. Fast forward, and here we are, helping bring Indecorous to life — her first solo show. When she told us about it, we instantly said yes, even though we had no clue what we were getting into. And honestly? That’s what made it so special.

When we first walked into her studio, only one or two columns were done. The rest were just ideas, sketches, and scattered materials. We had no roadmap, just a lot of mesh, zip ties, and this raw, pulsing energy that said something real was happening here. Watching her work was something else. Every part of it was hands-on — no shortcuts, no easy tools. Just Louisa, hovered over blenders, tearing paper, cutting mesh, stitching things together one zip tie at a time. The work was heavy, literally and emotionally. Every column demanded her full body and full attention.

We started filming, documenting, asking questions — and before we knew it, we weren’t just telling her story, we were living it with her. There were long days, late nights, unexpected breakthroughs, and a whole lot of moments that couldn’t be planned. What Louisa was doing wasn’t just sculpting columns, she was breaking rules she never signed up for, rewriting a childhood shaped by fragility, performance, and tradition.

She talks about growing up surrounded by antiques she wasn’t allowed to touch. Ballet classes, manners lessons, needlepoint. All beautiful, all structured. But that kind of upbringing has a way of shaping how you move in the world — what you’re allowed to play with, how big you’re allowed to be. These columns are her way of pushing back. They lean, bend, slouch, hang from the ceiling. They don’t stand tall and proud like the ones outside courthouses and museums. They rest. They speak. They feel like people.

The deeper we got into this project, the more it felt like a world we were building together. One that’s more honest, a little chaotic, a little softer around the edges. And that’s the beauty of Indecorous. It doesn’t try to fix or perfect anything. It just gives you permission to feel — to notice how you move around objects, how they move around you, and how all of it makes you feel in your body.

So yeah, we didn’t know what we were signing up for. But we’re so glad we did.

Indecorous opens this Friday, April 25th from 6–9 PM, and we’d love for you to experience it in person. The columns hit different when you’re standing right in front of them.

RSVP

Want to dive deeper into Louisa’s world? Check out louisabristol.com and follow along on Instagram @louisa.bristol.art for a behind-the-scenes look at her process and play.