Erwin Wurm (born 1954) is an Austrian artist. He lives and works in Vienna and Maissau in Austria; Hydra, Greece; and in New York City.
Early life
Erwin Wurm was born in Bruck an der Mur, Austria, in 1954.
His father was a
detective, who did not approve of artists.
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]
Philosophy and themes
In The Artist Who Swallowed the World, Wurm is quoted as saying: "I am interested in the everyday life. All the materials that surrounded me could be useful, as well as the objects, topics involved in contemporary society. My work speaks about the whole entity of a human being: the physical, the spiritual, the psychological and the political."
Wurm is known for his humorous approach to formalism.[Wurm, E (2007). "Pretty Cool People Interviews: Erwin Wurm", SubmarineChannel.]
Wurm's work is often critical of Western society and the mentality and lifestyle of his childhood during post-World War II Austria. Although Wurm's are humorous and ridiculous, they are actually quite serious. His criticism is playful, but should not be confused with kindness.
In talking about his often-mentioned topics of the gaining and losing of body weight and philosophy, Wurm stated: "It's about the difficulty to cope with life. Whether with diet or with a philosophy".
Art practice
Wurm lives and works in Vienna and Maissau in Austria,[ In 2018, he bought a house in Hydra.][Joshua Levine (5 December 2021), Artist Erwin Wurm's European Homes Are Full of Midcentury Treasures WSJ Magazine.]
Selected works
One Minute Sculptures
Since the late 1980s, Wurm has developed an ongoing series of One Minute Sculptures, in which he poses himself or his models in unexpected relationships with everyday objects close at hand, prompting the viewer to question the very definition of sculpture.
Fat Car series
Wurm believes the creation of sculpture is adding and subtracting material to an object.
Wurm has worked on a series of sculptures titled Fat Car, which depict "puffy, obese, life-size sculptures that bulge like overfilled sacks".[Patton, Phil (2 April 2010.) 'Cars Starved (or Stuffed) for Attention', The New York Times] The first of his Fat Car series was developed with Opel designers, but they were unsuccessful in achieving the kind of shape that Wurm had in mind due to technical limitations of this time.
In 2021 Wurm released a 15-second long video called Breathe In, Breathe Out as an NFT via König gallery's MISA website based on the FLOW blockchain.
Narrow House
Wurm "shrank" his parents' house to reflect the mentality of Austria during the postwar period; the design of the house is typical of the 1950s, but a fraction of the width. The house is furnished with shrunken furniture. This piece was inspired by Wurm's childhood in postwar Austria, from 1950s through to the 1970s. Growing up, he lived with his parents; his mother stayed at home and his father was a policeman.
From Men's Size 38 to Size 48 in Eight Days
Wurm's displayed work From Men's Size 38 to Size 48 in Eight Days are pages from his instruction book that explains Wurm's daily diet and activities each day in order to increase his body mass tremendously over the week.
Recognition and honours
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2013: Grand Austrian State Prize
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2021: 59th GNMH Award
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2022: Honorary doctorate from the University of Belgrade.
Collections and exhibitions
Wurm's works are in collections worldwide, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Walker Art Center, Museum Ludwig, Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, Musée d'art contemporain de Lyon, Museum of Old and New Art, and the Centre Pompidou.
In popular culture
In the Red Hot Chili Peppers' 2003 music video for "Can't Stop", the members of the band carry out five of Wurm's One Minute Sculptures. At the end of the video, a sign states that Wurm was an inspiration for the video. In a recent iTunes interview, Flea is quoted as saying Wurm's picture of a man with a pencil in his nose was a significant influence on the video (Flea himself appears in the video, at a certain point, with markers in his nostrils, pencils in his ears, and paint pot caps over his eyes). Wurm is considered to be the first visual artist to receive credits in a music video on MTV.
Gallery
File:Erwin Wurm.jpg| Bunker (1987)
File:Salzburg Furtwänglerpark Erwin Wurm 02.jpg| Gurken ( Pickles)
File:MUMOK Vienna.jpg|Installation at Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien
File:Haus auf dem MUMOK.jpg|Detail of inverted house
File:Jaquingasse 16-18, Hoffmann La Roche, VS Hotel Daniel Wien 5.jpg|Installation at Hotel Daniel, Vienna, Austria
File:Hotel Daniel Skulptur Erwin-Wurm-Boot DSC 9082w.jpg|Closeup of Hotel Daniel installation
File:Jaquingasse 16-18 DSC05482.JPG|Detail of Hotel Daniel installation
File:Misconceivable (Estuaire, Le Pellerin) (7715842722).jpg| Misconceivable, installation at a canal lock near Nantes, France (2007)
File:Wurm Fat Car 01.jpg| Fat Car (2001)
File:Wurm Fat House 02.jpg| Fat House (2003)
Further reading
External links
