designboom
November 10, 2010
Erwin Wurm at Lehmann Maupin Gallery
In 'gulp', Austrian-born artist Erwin Wurm introduces the theme of the social envelope - cars, clothing, food, houses, furniture - in order to annotate the fragility of both the individual and collective identity behind it. He does so by using these items as personifications of a social context through which individuals attempt to express themselves all the while being formed and deformed by it.
In works such as 'me on LSD' - a single extended hand supporting a large cloud-like structure - Wurm translates psychological and mental realities into physical realities. The layers in which he surrounds the body, both metaphorically and literally, such as the fattening-up or thinning-down of people and things, are sculptural metaphors for an existential insecurity about the boundaries of oneself.
‘I wanted to address serious matters, but in a light way. I want to reach more than just ?an elite circle of insiders. My work speaks about the whole entity of a human being: ?the physical, the spiritual, the psychological and political.' - Erwin Wurm
Erwin Wurm was born in 1954 in Bruck An der Mur / Styria, Austria.
He is known for his humorous approach to formalism.
His work has appeared in international exhibitions.
Recent solo shows include 'narrow mist' at the Ullens Center of Contemporary Art, Beijing, China,
'liquid reality' at the Kunstmuseum Bonn, Germany, 'the artist who swallowed the world' at
Kunstmuseum St. Gallen, switzerland to name a few.
His work is included in collections throughout the world at Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum,
Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Centre Pomidou, Musèe d'Art Contemporain de Lyon, among others.
He currently lives and works in Vienna.