Erwin Wurm Austrian, 1954

Erwin Wurm (Bruck an der Mur, Austria 1954)

Celebrated for his "One Minute Sculptures", a project begun in 1996/1997, Wurm gives participants written or drawn instructions that indicate actions or poses to perform with everyday objects such as chairs, buckets, fruit or sweaters.

Although Wurm uses humour as an integral tool in his work, there is always an underlying social critique of contemporary culture, particularly in response to the influence of capitalism and resulting social pressures that the artist sees as contrary to our internal ideals. Wurm emphasises this dichotomy by working within the liminal space between “high” and “low”, merging different genres to explore what he considers a farcical and invented reality.

Erwin Wurm graduated from the University of Graz in Austria, in 1977, and from the Gestaltungslehre University of Applied Art and Academy of Fine Art in Vienna, in 1982. In 2002, he began teaching as a professor of sculpture and multimedia at the Institute of Fine and Media Arts at the Vienna University of Applied Arts.

Between 2006 and 2007, Wurm dominated the Vienna skyline with the sculpture of an upside-down suspended family home placed on the roof of the Museum of Modern Art. In 2011, Wurm installed "Narrow House" at the Cavalli Franchetti Palace as part of Glasstress, a collateral event of the 54th Venice Biennial. In 2017, Wurm returned to Venice for the 57th Biennial, where he represented Austria. Since 2014, he has been a member of the Austrian Art Senate and he currently lives in Vienna and Lower Austria.

Copyright the artist. Photo UniCredit Group