May 17–October 26, 2025
The exhibition in the grounds of the former imperial summer residence in Bad Ischl focuses mainly on Erwin Wurm's sculptural work and includes pieces from the past three decades. The exhibited works, some of which provide very personal insights into the artist's life, sometimes deal with experiences from his childhood—feelings of powerlessness and confinement. In addition to the Fat House, the Fat Car and other classics from Wurm's oeuvre, the School, the counterpart to the Narrow House, a narrow replica of Wurm's childhood home, will also be part of the exhibition. While the Narrow House is a symbol of socialization through the parental home, the School stands for education by the state.
Wurm's explorations of the themes of philosophy, architecture, fashion and luxury form important series of works. The artist also draws on culinary representatives of Austrian culture. Bread, bread rolls and pastries, “Extrawurst” and pickled gherkins become the protagonists of his work and represent both the artist himself and his environment.
The materials used by the artist to realize the various themes of the works on display are just as extensive. In addition to objects made of fabric, metal, acrylic and marble, some objects made of glass will also be shown.
Accompanying the artist's sculptural oeuvre, there will be a small cinema in which a selection of Wurm's video works will be shown. Wurm gained international recognition primarily through his One Minute Sculptures group of works and attracted widespread public interest, not least due to a music video by the cult band Red Hot Chili Peppers, which used them as a source of inspiration for one of their music videos.
In addition, visitors will also have the opportunity to interactively recreate some of Wurm's One Minute Sculptures in a self-experiment.
