Wurm, Erwin

Erwin Wurm, one of Austria’s most important contemporary artists, is known for his humor, irony, and socially critical reflections. He became known to a wider audience through his “One Minute Sculptures”. In these works, passersby themselves become part of the artwork by briefly assuming unusual poses with everyday objects according to the artist’s instructions, which he then documents with photographs. This expands the classic concept of sculpture; not only stone or bronze, but also actions, clothing, or postures can be sculptures.

Wurm uses wit and absurd situations to address serious topics such as materialism and status symbols, ideals of beauty, vanity, and consumer society. He transforms banal everyday objects such as cars, houses, or furniture into works of art that are inflated, shrunk, or distorted. The best-known example is the “Fat Car”, an inflated car symbolizing excess and the obsession with wealth.