Summary and reflections on article by Truskolaski in the Contemporary n. 85 London 2006 pp 100-103 by MSB

Sebastian Truskolaski discusses the work of Erwin Wurm within the context of art theory and its deliberate challenge of Adorno's inflexible and rigid guidelines for art. This is explicit in one of Wurm's set of instructions called "Adorno was wrong about art". One of the instructions asks the performer to "hold their breath and think of Spinoza."

Key significant quotes from the article:

"art practice sometimes loses sight of its possibilities through an exaggerated sense of self-importnace and by letting itself be overshadowed by ideology"
-I think subconsciously I have been thinking about art in this way ever since foundation. There are so many possibilities to be explored in art practice when working simply with whats around you and not thinking immediately to deeply what it's about provided it makes sense to you, i.e. working with intuition and exploring.

Truskolaski summarizes the strength of Wurm's work in this quote: "art's role is related to its capacity to challenge perception , not through illusion or spectacle, but by calling into question the practicalities of the banal." "He lets the work act as simple but bold statement on the opulence of modern life."

One of the sculptures mentioned in the article called "Fat House" reminds me of a talking box that was recently displayed in Laughing as a Foreign Language at the Hayward Gallery."Hello ... hello. I am a cardboard box. I like being a cardboard box because I get to travel all over the world." Similary the "Fat House" contains a voice but asks questions such as "Am I a house ? Am I a work of art? Who decides?"


MSB