Drinking Sculptures

Erwin Wurm’s work consists of distorting the forms and modifying the content of our daily environment in a humanistic approach to sculpture that deals with human behavior and psychological states. With his Drinking Sculptures, he deploys found furniture such as a buffet, a table or a commode to invite the viewer to use the entire work as a bar: to have a glass, pour some liquor, and drink. By setting up the conditions of a social interaction, he studies the way we behave in the domestic space and raises awareness on certain social behaviors and habits. The distortion of proportions plays a significant role in creating furniture that verges on the surreal. Wurm’s disruption of the original function and organic form of the mid-century modern furniture he uses is an engaging visual social commentary on the preciousness of antique furniture and the way we interact with our environment, and a critical look at drinking, enjoying our free time against common social injunctions.