Erwin Wurm (Austrian, b.1954) is an artist best known for his strange depictions of everyday life and his humorous approach to the Formalism style. He was born in Bruck an der Mur and studied at the Academy of Applied Arts in Vienna and the Academy of Fine Arts in Austria. Wurm takes everyday object such as nails, screws, and almost anything else, and creates breathtaking sculptures that make people question exactly what defines a sculpture. He has been working on One Minute Sculpturessince the late 1980s; in these works, a model poses with everyday objects, but in a strange and almost unnatural way.
These sculptures are created almost instantaneously and with little thought beforehand. The images are pornographic or violent, and they are outside the realm of what the objects are supposed to be used for. Since the sculptures are so spontaneous, they are not crafted in traditional mediums and instead are captured with film. Humor is an integral facet of Wurm's work. While many other artists prefer to see their work as poignant and serious, he has no problem eliciting a few chuckles. In Truck, a truck curves up against a building, and in House, the artist presents a small house that is the very definition of claustrophobia.
Wurm’s work involves taking something mundane and enlarging, curving, or otherwise distorting it. His goal is to cause the viewer to look closer at the sculpture and find its true meaning. His notoriety has extended beyond the art world and was mentioned in the Red Hot Chili Pepper video Can't Stop as an inspiration for their imagery. Worm has stated that his inspiration comes from a love of everyday life, and that everything around him is useful and a part of his creative process. One of Wurm's most recent pieces is called Fat Car, which shows large life-sized sculptures that are obese and puffy. His works have been shown at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and Vienna, the Musee d'Art Contemporain in Lyon, France, and the Centre Pompidou in France. Wurm resides in Vienna and Limburg, Austria.
