Multi-faceted, surprising, humorous: all are perfect descriptions of the work of Austrian artist Erwin Wurm (b. 1954). Wurm is a sculptor in heart and soul, fascinated by volume, the human form, abstraction and figurative shapes.
Wurm works in a wide range of media and materials, from the very traditional to the utterly modern: bronze, polyester, drawings, large and small sculptures, text, installations and even his own body. But the work he creates with them is far from traditional. Sometimes it ends up disappearing altogether, as was the case with his international public breakthrough One Minute Sculptures.
Throughout his work, Wurm looks to today’s society for inspiration, and both people and everyday objects play a central role. Those objects, and the postures and distortions that they impose on the body, give rise to reflections on people’s physical and mental states. Unexpected and comical situations emerge as a result. Wurm’s exhibitions are always fascinating and fun.
For the first time, the Middelheim Museum is bringing a large selection of Wurm’s work into the open air. In addition, the artist invites visitors to become a work of art themselves, either as One Minute Sculptures or as part of something truly monumental. In the Braem Pavilion, Erwin Wurm will present new work created especially for this exhibition, with his Performative Sculptures, or living sculptures, as centrepiece.
