One Minute Sculpture
2011
Erwin Wurm
This pedestal is there for you. The artist invites you to become a sculpture yourself for 60 seconds. You will find instructions on the four corners of the pedestal: become a dog on your hands and knees, hold your breath and think of (the philosopher) Spinoza, lay your head on the pedestal and stop thinking, put your trousers on your head with your arms through the legs. One minute is just long enough to take a nice photo of it. But at the same time, posing can feel like an eternity.
Details
- Plan number: Z13
- Zone: Contact Planes
- Title: One Minute Sculpture
- Creator: Erwin Wurm
- Date: 2011
- Material: concrete, metal
- Acquisition:
- Object number: MID.B.538
Here, Erwin Wurm places the human figure at the center, a classic in sculpture. At the same time, he questions the definition of sculpture and establishes a link with everyday life. He depicts situations that make us smile but also break social taboos – and thus confront us with our personal boundaries.
The instructions to become a sculpture for one minute are often challenging and uncomfortable: you do feel somewhat watched, especially with your trousers on your head. Wurm wants you to let go of that feeling and not dwell on the gaze of the audience, but to stay with yourself and your thoughts. Mindfulness in the museum, in other words.
Austrian artist Erwin Wurm works with diverse media and materials, ranging from classical to contemporary. His humorous work stretches the concept of what sculpture can be. He starts from everyday situations and places the human being at the center. Since the late 1980s, this has all come together in his ‘One Minute Sculptures’, in which spectators briefly become sculptures by adopting prescribed poses.
From the same artist
Erwin Wurm
It is not entirely clear whether this boat is about to dive enthusiastically into the water, or flinch at the last moment. The title confirms this sense of doubt: “Misconceivable”! The danger of misunderstanding always lurks nearby; in the interpretation of art, but also in everyday life and our dealings with each other.
Erwin Wurm
This car balances dangerously against a felt-tip pen. The artwork is part of a series in which various objects rest on things that are not really fit for this purpose, such as a sandwich, an orange or a felt-tip pen. The moment of collapse cannot be far away …
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