Artinfo
December 6, 2011
25 Questions for Sculptor Erwin Wurm
By Artinfo
Name: Erwin Wurm
?Age: 57?
Occupation: Sculptor
?City: Vienna
What project are you working on now? I am preparing a show for the Albertina in Vienna and I am working on a big group of drawings and photographs related to the nudes of the early Renaissance.
You are very interested in the domestic: At this year's Venice Biennale, you exhibited "Narrow House," a home that had been seemingly squished, and your new solo exhibition at Miami's Bass Museum, "Beauty Business," also focuses on the home. What is the most notable element of your own home?? Space...
Your latest series, "Drinking Sculptures," also on view at the Bass, reconstructs pieces of vintage furniture and stocks them with bottles of liquor. You consider the artworks to be complete only when the viewer is drunk. What is the benefit of viewing art intoxicated?? It's a work dedicated to the heavy drinkers — artist and writers! And to Gilbert & George and Tom Marioni! Zizek said that the Western world is enjoying only with restriction. The only excesses allowed are the one of shopping, guns, and heavy diet!
Is alcohol the drug of choice for art appreciation, in your view?? No, it's an attitude.
Your art, which ranges from sculptures of figures struggling inside their own sweaters to oversize police caps, is frequently humorous. What, in your opinion, is the funniest work of art??Funny? No! My work is cynical with regard to our common understanding of the world.
What's the last show that you saw?? B&B, Bold and Beautiful.
What's the last show that surprised you? Why? ?Days of Our Lives......until eternity.....
What's your favorite place to see art?? Don't have one.
Do you make a living off your art?? For 30 years.
What's the most indispensable item in your studio?? Passion
Where are you finding ideas for your work these days?? Not on Facebook or Twitter!
Do you collect anything?? Art and vintage furniture.
What's the last artwork you purchased?? A piece by Alighiero Boetti
What's the first artwork you ever sold?? It was a drawing of my father.
What's the weirdest thing you ever saw happen in a museum or gallery?? There are many bad shows... I can't remember which one was the worst!
What's your art-world pet peeve? ?Hubris
What's your favorite post-gallery watering hole or restaurant?? The drink dispenser close to my studio.
Do you have a gallery/museum-going routine?? I have a not-to-go-there routine!
What's the last great book you read?? Machiavelli’s “The Prince.”
What work of art do you wish you owned?? The art of placidity
What would you do to get it?? Work 30 hours a day
What international art destination do you most want to visit?? Artforum city
What under-appreciated artist, gallery, or work do you think people should know about?? There are many over appreciated and nearly none under!
Who's your favorite living artist?? Van Gogh
What are your hobbies? ?Art