In this sculptural work, the shoe is turned inside out—its surface dotted not with decoration but with nipples. The erotic is displaced, re-embodied, and exaggerated, bringing humor and unease into tension. Through this inversion, Anna Riess questions norms of beauty and power, poking at a culture shaped by imbalance, fragility, and performance.

Even today, it remains a balancing act—literally and socially. While still largely worn by women, the high heel has only slowly been opened up to broader, more inclusive expression. Sneakers, in contrast, are for everyone.

‘Heel on Nipples’ was originally created for Fragile Intervention at Vienna Design Week 2023, where Anna Riess transformed an entire room into an immersive, sensory experience. The floor was blanketed in lavender, offering visitors a moment of pause and rest amidst the fast pace of everyday life.

Anna Riess is a multidisciplinary artist and cultural anthropologist based in Vienna. Her work explores themes of embodiment, emotion, and interbodily relations through materials like clay, metal, and textiles. Deeply influenced by her experience of motherhood, she transforms everyday objects into symbolic forms - one of her gestures she describes as the “nippelization of the everyday.”

Riess is the co-founder of the Clayground retreat and the creator of Circle of Clay, a workshop series she has led at institutions such as the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna or the Hotel Kai36 in Graz. Her workshops invite participants—regardless of prior experience—to develop their own sculptural language through hands-on engagement with clay.

Her sculptural objects possess a strong visual identity and tactile presence, marked by a recognizable aesthetic and a willingness to push the boundaries of material behavior. Especially drawn to the tactility of clay, Riess explores how movement and fluidity can be captured in form—leaving the trace of the hand visible in its hardened state. With a strong interest in local materials and interdisciplinary exchange, her practice bridges artistic, social, and ecological concerns in both conceptual and applied ways.