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Lehmann Maupin
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Erwin Wurm

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b. 1954, Austria

Erwin Wurm (b. 1954 Bruck an der Mur/Styria, Austria; lives and works in Vienna and Limberg, Austria) came to prominence with his One Minute Sculptures, a project that he began in 1996/1997. In these works, Wurm gives written or drawn instructions to participants that indicate actions or poses to perform with everyday objects such as chairs, buckets, fruit, or knit sweaters. These sculptures are by nature ephemeral, and by incorporating photography and performance into the process, he challenges the formal qualities of the medium as well as the boundaries between performance and daily life and spectator and participant. While in this series he explores the idea of the human body as sculpture, in some of his more recent work, he anthropomorphises everyday objects in unsettling ways, like contorting sausage-like forms into bronze sculptures in Abstract Sculptures, or distorting and bloating the volume and shape of a car in Fat Car. Wurm considers the physical act of gaining and losing weight a sculptural gesture, and often creates the illusion of bodily growth or shrinkage in his work. While Wurm considers humour an important tool in his work, there is always an underlying social critique of contemporary culture, particularly in response to the Capitalist influences and resulting societal 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 and merging genres to explore what he views as a farcical and invented reality.

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Erwin Wurm graduated from University of Graz, Austria, in 1977, and Gestaltungslehre University of Applied Art and Academy of Fine Art, Vienna in 1982. Solo exhibitions of his work have been recently been organised at Albertina Museum, Vienna (2018); 21er Haus, Belvedere, Vienna (2017); Museum Küppersmühle für Moderne Kunst, Duisburg, Germany (2017); Leopold Museum, Vienna (2017); Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, São Paulo, Brazil (2017); Berlinische Galerie, Berlin (2016); Schindler House, MAK Center for Art and Architecture, West Hollywood, CA (2016); Bangkok Art and Culture Center, Thailand (2016); Indianapolis Museum of Art, IL (2015); Museum of Contemporary Art in Kraków, Poland (2013); Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Málaga, Spain (2012); and Dallas Contemporary, TX (2012). Select group exhibitions featuring his work include Performing for the Camera, Tate Modern, London (2016); Precarious Balance, Centre of Contemporary Art, Christchurch, New Zealand (2016); Desire for Freedom, Museum of Contemporary Art in Kraków, Poland (2013); HEIMsuchung: Uncanny Spaces in Contemporary Art, Kunstmuseum Bonn, Germany (2013); The Original Copy: Photography of Sculpture, 1839 to Today, Kunsthaus Zürich, Switzerland, traveled to The Museum of Modern Art, New York (2011); and Temporary Structures: Performing Architecture in Contemporary Art, deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln, MA (2011). Wurm’s work is in numerous international public and private collections, including Albertina, Vienna; Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Málaga, Spain; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Kunsthaus Zürich, Switzerland; Kunstmuseum Bonn, Germany; Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna, Italy; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Vancouver Art Gallery, Canada; and Walker Art Center, Minneapolis.

In 2011, Wurm’s Narrow House was installed at the Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti as part of Glasstress 2011, a collateral event of the 54th Venice Biennale. In 2017, Wurm returned to Venice for the 57th Biennale, where he represented Austria.

Text courtesy Lehmann Maupin.

Recent Exhibitions

Contemporary art exhibition, Erwin Wurm, Erwin Wurm | Palm Beach at Lehmann Maupin, 536 West 22nd Street, New York, USA Closed 7 January–6 February 2022 Erwin Wurm Erwin Wurm | Palm Beach 536 West 22nd Street, New York
Contemporary art exhibition, Group Exhibition, Material Space at Lehmann Maupin x Carpenters Workshop Gallery in Aspen, 536 West 22nd Street, New York, USA Closed 5 August–10 September 2021 Group Exhibition Material Space 536 West 22nd Street, New York
Contemporary art exhibition, Erwin Wurm, Hello Seoul! at Lehmann Maupin, Seoul, South Korea Closed 20 February–11 April 2020 Erwin Wurm Hello Seoul! Seoul
Contemporary art exhibition, Erwin Wurm, Yes Biological at Lehmann Maupin, 501 West 24th Street, New York, USA Closed 16 January–22 February 2020 Erwin Wurm Yes Biological 501 West 24th Street, New York
Contemporary art exhibition, Erwin Wurm, Erwin Wurm at Lehmann Maupin, Hong Kong, SAR, China Closed 25 March–11 May 2019 Erwin Wurm Hong Kong
Contemporary art exhibition, Erwin Wurm, Ethics demonstrated in geometrical order at Lehmann Maupin, 536 West 22nd Street, New York, USA Closed 30 March–26 May 2017 Erwin Wurm Ethics demonstrated in geometrical order 536 West 22nd Street, New York
Contemporary art exhibition, Tracey Emin, Klara Kristalova, Alex Prager, Robin Rhode, Juergen Teller, Erwin Wurm, Under the Skin at Lehmann Maupin, Hong Kong, SAR, China Closed 10 July–16 August 2014 Tracey Emin, Klara Kristalova, Alex Prager, Robin Rhode, Juergen Teller, Erwin Wurm Under the Skin Hong Kong

Recent Artworks

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Director's dance (Taschenskulpturen) by Erwin Wurm contemporary artwork sculpture
Erwin Wurm Director's dance (Taschenskulpturen), 2021 Bronze
213 x 26 x 110 cm
Lehmann Maupin Contact Gallery
Mold (Flat Series) by Erwin Wurm contemporary artwork painting
Erwin Wurm Mold (Flat Series), 2021 Acrylic and oil paint on canvas
100 x 80 x 4.5 cm
Lehmann Maupin Contact Gallery
Cast (Flat Series) by Erwin Wurm contemporary artwork painting
Erwin Wurm Cast (Flat Series), 2021 Acrylic and oil paint on canvas
150 x 120 x 4.5 cm
Lehmann Maupin Contact Gallery
Untitled (Taipei) by Erwin Wurm contemporary artwork photography
Erwin Wurm Untitled (Taipei), 2020 C-print
80 x 53.33 cm
Lehmann Maupin Contact Gallery
Untitled (Taipei) by Erwin Wurm contemporary artwork photography
Erwin Wurm Untitled (Taipei), 2020 C-print
200 x 133.33 cm
Lehmann Maupin Contact Gallery
Step (Taschenskulpturen) by Erwin Wurm contemporary artwork sculpture
Erwin Wurm Step (Taschenskulpturen), 2021 Aluminium
229 x 54 x 70 cm
Lehmann Maupin Contact Gallery
Untitled (The Hitchhiker's Project) by Erwin Wurm contemporary artwork sculpture
Erwin Wurm Untitled (The Hitchhiker's Project), 2021 Aluminium, paint
196 x 36 x 77 cm
Lehmann Maupin Contact Gallery
Short bag by Erwin Wurm contemporary artwork sculpture
Erwin Wurm Short bag, 2017 Bronze and patina
55 x 24 x 45 cm
Lehmann Maupin Contact Gallery
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Recent Artworks View All (45) Recent Artworks

Erwin Wurm In Ocula Magazine

Blockbuster European Exhibition Opens in Tempelhof Hangars Ocula News Blockbuster European Exhibition Opens in Tempelhof Hangars Berlin, 10 June 2021

Diversity United is a soft power push to unite Europe. But Putin is pushing back.

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Taipei Stays Open: Shows to See in 2020 Ocula Feature Taipei Stays Open: Shows to See in 2020 By Tessa Moldan, Taipei

With Taipei Dangdai launching the online platform Taipei Connections, here's a roundup of shows to see across Taipei.

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Taipei Dangdai Launches Digital Platform With Ocula Ocula News Taipei Dangdai Launches Digital Platform With Ocula Taipei, 23 April 2020

Taipei Connections seeks to build a bridge between galleries and collectors separated by COVID-19.

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Art Basel in Hong Kong: Exhibitions to See in 2019 Ocula Feature Art Basel in Hong Kong: Exhibitions to See in 2019 By Tessa Moldan, Hong Kong

For those visiting Art Basel in Hong Kong (29–31 March 2019), find out what is currently making the city's art scene tick with this guide of exhibitions to see.

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Erwin Wurm In Ocula Advisory

In Vienna WithErwin Wurm Advisory Perspective In Vienna With Erwin Wurm 20 November 2020

With his work on view as part of Vienna Art Week, Ocula Advisory checked in with Erwin Wurm to find out what he has been working on during the lockdown.

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Erwin Wurm In Related Press

Read More (8)
At Venice Biennale, Erwin Wurm Makes Sculpture ‘a Form of Action’ Related Press At Venice Biennale, Erwin Wurm Makes Sculpture ‘a Form of Action’ 15 June 2017, The New York Times

For the next five months, an orange freight truck will be standing on its head outside the Austrian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Visitors are invited to go up the stairs to a small enclosure at th

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Giardini Pavilion Highlights from the 57th Venice Biennale Related Press Giardini Pavilion Highlights from the 57th Venice Biennale 11 May 2017, Whitewall

JAPANESE PAVILION, Takahiro Iwasaki: Turned Upside Down, It's a Forest Takahiro Iwasaki has created a multifaceted spatial experience of viewing the Itsukushima Shrine located in Hiroshima, whe

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WHAT TO SEE DURING FRIEZE WEEK 2017 Related Press WHAT TO SEE DURING FRIEZE WEEK 2017 3 May 2017, Whitewall

The museum and gallery shows you’ve got to see in New York.

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'One Minute Sculpture' at Twenty: Erwin Wurm's 'Ethics Demonstrated in Geometrical Order' Related Press 'One Minute Sculpture' at Twenty: Erwin Wurm's 'Ethics Demonstrated in Geometrical Order' 1 May 2017, Hyperallergic

Part of why Wurm’s prankish one minute sculptures never quite get old is that we humans, the butts of his jokes, make a habit of walking right into them—and enjoying it.

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Related Press Read More (8) In Related Press
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