Art Square and Neighborhood
Erwin WURM
In their knobbly plumpness, this red-roofed house and bright red car resemble our bodies, changing shape according to how much bulk we gain or lose. By modifying symbols of social success and affluence such as cars and houses, Wurm offers an absurdist take on conventional values around capitalism, appearance etc. The video playing inside Fat Housealso poses questions of identity, the house itself muttering, “Am I a house? Or am I just an artwork?”
Photo: Oyamada Kuniya
Erwin WURM
Born 1954 in Bruck an der Mur, Austria. Studied at the University of Applied Arts and the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna (Austria). Known for his humorous yet unsettling depictions of everyday life anduncanny approach to formalism, Wurm takes everyday objects such as nails, pens, and almost anything else, and creates mind-bending works that prompt viewers to question exactly what defines a sculpture. Solo exhibitions include “Fat Car and Jakob-Jakob Fat” at Palais de Tokyo (Paris, France, 2002), “Erwin Wurm” at Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Roma (Italy, 2006), and “Erwin Wurm,” at Musée Cantini (Marseille, France, 2019). He co-represented the Austrian Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale (Italy, 2017).
Fat House
2010
Iron, wood, polystyrene, aluminium,
electric installation, video on DVD,
video projection, speakers
1070×745×560 cm
Fat Car
2010
Styrofoam, polyester, car
231×510×141 cm
interviewer： NAKAGAWA Chieko (Towada Art Center)
July 27, 2022
