Erwin Wurm

Erwin Wurm (b. 1954 in Bruck an der Mur, Austria) lives and works in Vienna and Limberg, Austria. Over the course of his career, Erwin Wurm has radically expanded conceptions of sculpture, questioning its notions of time, mass and surface, abstraction and representation.
While Wurm considers humor an important tool, his work opens to essential philosophical, psychological and social questions. There is often an underlying critique of contemporary society, particularly in response to the capitalist influences and resulting societal pressures that the artist sees as contrary to our internal ideals. Wurm emphasizes this dichotomy by working within the liminal space between high and low, to explore what he views as a farcical and invented reality.
Erwin Wurm graduated from University of Graz, Austria, in 1977, and University of Applied Art and Academy of Fine Art, Vienna in 1982. Solo exhibitions of his work have been organized at some of the most prestigious international museums and institutions.