One Minute Sculptures at Venice Biennale 2017 - A Talk with Erwin Wurm

The year 2017 marks the 20th anniversary of Erwin Wurm’s One Minute Sculptures, an ongoing series of performative pieces that questions the definition of sculpture and performance art. To commemorate such an important milestone, the Austrian artist will simply continue to make them, and will present them at various venues throughout Europe in the coming period: Kunsthaus Graz, 21er Haus Vienna, and the 57th Venice Biennale in Italy.

At the Pavilion of Austria, he is sharing the exhibition space with another renowned artist, Brigitte Kowanz, but rather than hosting a group show, they will present two solo ones. With such a line-up, we have no doubt that their presentations will be one of the highlights of the Biennale at large.

Erwin Wurm - One Minute Sculptures

Perhaps best known for the One Minute Sculptures project, Erwin Wurm began creating them in 1997, as forms of spontaneous and temporary works of art which only remain memorized through photographs. In fact, photography can be considered only one of the mediums that the Austrian artist uses in his versatile practice, alongside drawing, video, installation, and performance. The viewer becomes art itself, and following Wurm’s instructions that are written by hand, their bodies are juxtaposed with everyday objects in order to create absurd, almost ridiculous structures. The participants are required to hold their pose for one minute - hence the title of the series - which in this scenario can last an eternity.

The visitors of the 2017 Venice Biennale will now be able to experience Erwin Wurm’s One Minute Sculptures themselves, inside and outside the Austrian Pavilion. Of course, in his interview with Widewalls, the artist couldn’t reveal much about the project itself, but he did announce a few interesting details to keep us intrigued and excited. We also talk about the beginnings of his long and fruitful career, the allure of the paradox, the way life is art, and the utopian world we are living right now. Will society survive it all?

Find out in our podcast with Erwin Wurm below!

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Featured images: Erwin Wurm. Photo by Inge Prader; Erwin Wurm - Untitled (Trash), 2004, From the series: One Minute Sculpture. Mixed media (instruction drawing, garbage can, performer), performed by the public. Photo: Wolfgang Guenzel.