sculptor Erwin Wurm in the exhibition, ‘Wear me out’. The 20 pieces on
display highlight consistent and interconnected topics in the artist’s work,
such as the body, colour, and clothing: these themes are further developed
by a new collaboration with Antwerp based fashion designer
location’s Braem pavilion. With a contemporary interpretation of classical
sculptural tenets, the forms and the materials in wurm’s work yield results
that both examine and push the boundaries of the medium, ranging from
extremes of permanence and transience. Arranged throughout the sculpture
garden, the engaging works are well suited to the interactive site.
‘fat house’ side view (left) and detail (right)
image © jesse willems
‘melting house’
image © jesse willems
Using materials of bronze and polystyrene, wurm gives human-like
qualities to non-living objects such as houses (‘fat house’, ‘melting house’),
boats (‘misconceivable’), and clothing (‘big sweater’). These everyday
forms are instantly recognizable to the viewer, but striking for their
transformation in scale and volume. walking a fine line between form
and formlessness, Wurm also renders the human physique in works
like ‘big gulp’or his ‘big psycho’ series. These pieces consistently
depict unusual postures, examining the sculptural potential of
revealing psychological mood through body language.
‘big gulp’ (2009)
image © jesse willems
‘big psycho 10′ (left) and
‘big psycho 8′ (right)
images © jesse willems
(left) ‘big pumpkin’
(right) performative sculptures
by erwin wurm and walter van beirendonck
images © jesse willems
Wurm’s depiction of the body is not limited to durable materials, but also
flesh and blood. drawing in viewers with colour, Wurm collaborates with
walter van bierendonck is in the creation of living ‘performative sculptures’,
or five hired actors wearing oversized costumes made of ruffled tulle,
whose texture and form explore the human body’s role in transforming
objects. This new series extends Wurm’s ‘one minute sculptures’, which
can exist only if an audience member participates: if sculpture is all
about volume and space, then anyonecan be an artwork, simply by adding
or removing clothing and weight.
performative sculptures by erwin wurm and walter van beirendonck
image © gazet van antwerpen / jan van der perre
performative sculptures by erwin wurm and walter van beirendonck
(left) image © gazet van antwerpen / jan van der perre
(right) image © jesse willems
performative sculpture (2011)
image © elfie semotan / wallpaper
‘knitwear ceiling’
image © studio wurm
The artist uses textiles inside the museum’s Braem pavilion as well,
creating a gigantic ‘sweater’ by covering the ceiling in pastel purple
knitwear. On the ground below are a completely new series of
‘möbeln performative sculptures’, in which the artist converts
second-hand furniture into hybrid objects that act as performance
stages: by the artist’s instructions, someone takes on the guise of a
sculpture, around, in or on the artworks on every day of the exhibition.
performative sculpture
image © studio wurm
performative sculpture
image © studio wurm
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