Event
Laurin Merz: Erwin Wurm
The artist who swallowed the world (2012)
Thu, March 17, 2016 7:00 pm CET
© Laurin Merz
A camera followed the Austrian sculptor Erwin Wurm on his tour around the world and documented the set up of large exhibitions in Beijing, Moscow, Paris and in Miami. Over the course of four years the artist gave insights into his world, his work, and his art.
The camera is present when he develops a new artwork and puts it together. But the camera is also present when the pressure of being an artist is mounting and he looses his cool. During quiet moments in conversation, he recounts stories about his family and how experiences in childhood have influenced his work as an artist. And he is frank about the global art »business« that he sometimes views as a »hyena«.
His quirky »one minute sculptures« turned Erwin Wurm early in his career into an overnight sensation. To this day they are part of him. And his motto that “everything can be turned into a sculpture” is even applied to director Laurin Merz in the film: The public can look forward to an artist film, that gives a glimpse into the intimate and rarely shared process of the creative process and the busy world around it.
The camera is present when he develops a new artwork and puts it together. But the camera is also present when the pressure of being an artist is mounting and he looses his cool. During quiet moments in conversation, he recounts stories about his family and how experiences in childhood have influenced his work as an artist. And he is frank about the global art »business« that he sometimes views as a »hyena«.
His quirky »one minute sculptures« turned Erwin Wurm early in his career into an overnight sensation. To this day they are part of him. And his motto that “everything can be turned into a sculpture” is even applied to director Laurin Merz in the film: The public can look forward to an artist film, that gives a glimpse into the intimate and rarely shared process of the creative process and the busy world around it.
| Director | Laurin Merz |
| Producer | Reto Caduff |
| Length | 52:43 min |
| Language | German |
| Subtitles | English / French |