Sculpting Thoughts : An Interview With Erwin Wurm

Désespéré/Desperate held at the Galerie de l’UQAM in the fall of 2008 was not only Erwin Wurm’s first exhibition in Canada, it was also the first time that a show has been organized entirely on the basis of philosophical aspects in the sculptor’s work.1 1  - This telephone interview was conducted between Montreal and Vienna on September 20, 2008. Translation from the German (Mr. Wurm answered several questions entirely or partially in German) by Bernard A. Schütze. This philosophical selection — a brainchild of the exhibition’s curator Patrice Duhamel2 2  - The curator of Desperate Patrice Duhamel passed away at the age of thirty-eight shortly after the show’s opening in September 2008. This interview is dedicated to his memory. — is the guiding thread of this conversation in which philosophy and sculpture overlap and intertwine. On one hand, Erwin Wurm reveals the importance of philosophy in structuring his perception of things, while on the other he discusses how sculpture can serve as a means to take a novel look at philosophers and to concretely examine philosophical notions such as freewill, time and the ridiculous.

Bernard A. Schütze: Your show Desperate in Montreal consists of works that focus on the philosophical. To my knowledge, this is the first time your work has been presented exclusively along these lines. Given this context, what role does philosophy play in your work and how does it take shape in your artistic practice?