CRAP HEAD

By Sharne Wolff

Official Website

Erwin Wurm might not be the first artist to turn sh_t into art but his gold-plated bronze sculpture titled Crap Head 2010 is certainly an elegant tribute. Like the rest of Wurm’s art, it’s underpinned by an edgy sense of absurdity and humour. This exhibition, also titled Crap Head, includes work from the last decade and encompasses sculpture, photography and video – much of which touches on themes of the human condition.

Wurm is an Austrian artist whose work has been collected by art museums the world over. His bulging bright red Fat Car is one of Hobart Museum of Old and New Art’s most popular attractions. Wurm’s ‘fat’ theme, originally a comment on the way people were judged by the shape of their bodies, is continued in works such as Jeans Pink and the obese blue Jogging Trouser. When Wurm first began his practice he had little money for materials so began creating sculptures by adapting throwaway pieces like bits of wood, old bottles, used clothing, fabric and furniture. Several decades on, sculptures such as City model, Architecture and Untitled 2008 are still comprised of simple components furthering the artist’s desire to “transfer reality to something else”. Also displayed is an early 1997 video One Minute Sculptures where the artist, often with the use of his own body, creates sculpture from everyday objects. Alongside is the audience-based ‘One Minute Sculptures’ where viewers are invited to perform Monty Python-style using tennis balls, coloured fabric squares and a set of instructions as part of the show.

Pic: Erwin Wurm Untitled, 2008 Acrylic, wood, wool 190 x 41 x 28 cm
Courtesy the artist and Anna Schwartz Gallery.