Erwin Wurm Via Veneto Contemporanea
A free, open-air exhibition comprising fourteen interventions by Erwin Wurm in the street of the Dolce Vita, running from the Aurelian Walls to the most iconic points of the street. Curated by Catherine Loewe.
The road of the Dolce Vita is a great protagonist of the Roman cultural scene, between art and cinema. Today, via Veneto is a creative, lively and vital space with a rich calendar of events. Via Veneto Contemporanea presents an open-air exhibition of works by Erwin Wurm, an Austrian artist of international fame, preceded by a series of ad hoc film screenings that retrace the 'myth' of the street (from 23 September).
The exhibition will be the first urban installation created by Wurm in Rome, supported by Roma Culture, Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali.
Erwin Wurm (Bruck an der Mur, 1954) conquered the international spotlight at the end of the 90s with his One Minute Sculptures, in which he proposed the interaction between the works and the body of the spectators. Over time, his sculptures began to take on human features. His anthropomorphic works such as Big Mutter, Big Coat and his Bags are placed on legs with characteristics or postures that evoke distinct personalities. Surreal and hyperreal at the same time, his work seems to be located in an existentialist dimension halfway between pleasure and despair. In his Verschnittskulpturen series of headless bronzes made up of sliced and diced figures, the clothes seem to take on a life of their own. Wurm has received numerous awards: in 2013, the Grand Prix from the Austrian state. In 2015 he became Austrian of the Year in the Cultural Heritage category. He has participated twice in the Venice Biennale, the first at the 54th Venice Biennale in 2011, exhibiting his installation Narrow House at Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti as part of the Glasstress event . He returned to Venice for the 57th Biennale in 2017, where he represented Austria in the national pavilion.
Wurm's work can be found in the permanent collections of many museums around the world, including MoMA, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, Center Georges Pompidou in Paris, Tate Modern in London, Museum Ludwig in Cologne, Albertina in Vienna, Baltimore Museum of Art, Kunsthaus Zurich, National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, National Museum of Art, Osaka, Vancouver Art Gallery and Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.
