Erwin Wurm Away at Home

Tel Aviv Museum of Art presents the first solo exhibition in Israel of works by Erwin Wurm, one of Austria’s most prominent contemporary artists and a renowned figure internationally.

Wurm will present two “chapters.” One is a massive outdoor sculpture entitled Narrow House – a replica of Wurm’s childhood home that has been squeezed into 1.1 m width and pivoted at an unusual angle. The other is a new set of One Minute Sculptures — his signature work — using Israeli-made furniture from the 1950s and 1960s. Thus, the exhibition will address the relationship between exterior and interior; European versus Israeli aesthetics and post-war sensibilities; and the way our minds and bodies relate to everyday objects and surroundings.

Starting in the 1990s, Wurm became known for expanding the notion of traditional sculpture and reinventing it in a series of One Minute Sculptures. He places everyday objects (such as clothing, furniture, and other household items) on pedestals throughout the gallery, and his fine drawings and simple instructions encourage the viewer to get on the pedestal and perform an action with the object – often funny, slightly awkward, and unconventional – for one minute. In this way he establishes a new relationship between viewer and object, questioning and reflecting on our connection to the objects around us. As we, the viewers, become the sculpture for a brief moment, a dimension of time and change is added to the seemingly stable and eternal medium of sculpture.