erwin wurm infills kunstmuseum wolfsburg with ‘fat’ objects and a german forest

erwin wurm infills kunstmuseum wolfsburg with ‘fat’ objects and a german forest
(above) installation view of ‘erwin wurm. fichte’
photo by marek kruszewski / © vg bild-kunst, bonn 2015

erwin wurm: fichte
kunstmuseum wolfsburg, germany
now through september 13, 2015

when visitors to kunstmuseum wolfsburg arrive at the museum’s main entrance, a bizarrely-shaped volkswagen van greets them. this site-specific sculptural-cum-functional installation by erwin wurm provides a mere hint of the unusual and eccentric world awaiting gallery-goers within the great exhibition hall. the austrian artist is best known for an oeuvre that adds interactive and humorous aspects to sculpture, rejecting the conventions and rules of formal artistry. for instance, the ‘fat hot dog stand’ outside of the museum not only conveys his own conceptual view of everyday objects, but also will sell original VW curry sausages during lunchtimes throughout the run of the show.

installation view of ‘erwin wurm. fichte’
photo by marek kruszewski / © vg bild-kunst, bonn 2015

once within the exhibition hall, wurm has turned the vast gallery space into a german forest. more than fifty gigantic, real firs hanging from the ceiling presents a monumental sculptural challenge: the trees must be placed in a specific relationship to the exhibition space and simultaneously provide a dialogue with more than forty other works of art in and around the site — sixteen of which have been created especially for the show.

curry bus, 2015
VW t2b, mixed media
courtesy studio erwin wurm / photo by marek kruszewski / © vg bild-kunst, bonn 2015

the exhibition title ‘fichte’ refers to the german idealist philosopher johann gottlieb fichte, one of the most important figures of romanticism, a defender of individualism, and the author of the controversial ‘addresses to the german nation.’ since the romantic era, the german forest’s unspoiled state has represented an alternative to city life, a place where urbanits can go to rest and relax. conceptually, the title links both the ordinary fir tree with the contrast between nature and civilization, interior and exterior, the monumental and the ephemeral.

curry bus, 2015

anger bump, 2007
acyrlic, clothes, 155 x 80 x 47 cm
courtesy galerie thaddaeus ropac, salzburg (a), paris (f)
photo by marek kruszewski / © vg bild-kunst, bonn 2015

home, 2006
acyrlic, paint, 110 x 115 x 285 cm
courtesy galerie elisabeth & klaus thoman innsbruck / wien
photo by marek kruszewski / © vg bild-kunst, bonn 2015

selfportrait as cucumbers, 2008
acrylic, paint, iron, var. dimensions
courtesy tomio koyama gallery, tokyo (jp)
photo by studio wurm / © vg bild-kunst, bonn 2015

hypnosis II (coat), 2008
acrylic, wool, clothing, 159.5 x 66 x 65.5 cm
courtesy galerie thaddaeus ropac, salzburg (at) / paris (fr)
photo by studio wurm / © vg bild-kunst, bonn 2015

toilette, 2014
acrylic, wood, 76 x 11 x 76 cm
photo by eva würdinger / © vg bild-kunst, bonn 2015

mother, 2014
bronze, patina, 168 x 80 x 43 cm
courtesy galerie thaddaeus ropac, salzburg (at), paris (fr)
photo by eva würdinger / © vg bild-kunst, bonn 2015

disobedience, 2014
acrylic, fabric, 45 x 23 x 23cm (l), 47 x 24 x 25cm (r)
photo by eva würdinger / © vg bild-kunst, bonn 2015

attic – brain – rain, 2014
polyurethane, 80 x 45 x 215 cm
photo by eva würdinger / © vg bild-kunst, bonn 2015

cajetan, 2009
bronze, patina, paint, fabric, 100 x 40 x 25 cm
courtesy galerie thaddaeus ropac
photo by studio wurm / © vg bild-kunst, bonn 2015

mr. mutt, 2010
acyrlic, paint, 29 x 49 x 36 cm
courtesy galerie thaddaeus ropac,salzburg (at), paris (fr)
photo by ulrich ghezzi / © vg bild-kunst, bonn 2015