Erwin Wurm Bar (Drinking sculpture), 2019
Erwin Wurm often focuses on mundane objects that help us cope with daily life, and through which we ultimately define ourselves. Composed of his landmark cucumber shaped sculpture in bronze here assembled with a vintage table, Bar (Drinking sculpture) (2019) invites the viewer to make use of the object; to take a glass, pour some liquor, and drink. By setting the conditions of a social interaction, he investigates the way we behave in a domestic environment. Wurm has long shown interest in the domestic realm, producing works that raise questions about the psychological dimension of space.
His famous installation Narrow House is an unusually compressed version of his childhood home where visitors are invited to explore the narrow spaces and slender furniture that fill the house. The distortion of proportions plays a significant role in creating furniture that verges on the surreal. This aspect is evident in his recent drinking sculptures where the part forming the bar levitates above the ground, showing the great sense of humour with which Wurm approaches his practice.
