erwin wurm reimagines the frankfurter for synthesa

erwin wurm reimagines the frankfurter for synthesa
kiss (abstract sculptures), 2013
bronze, paint
31.1 x 16.54 x 17.72 inches 79 x 42 x 45 cm
edition of 6
courtesy the artist and lehmann maupin, new york and hong kong

erwin wurm: synthesa
lehmann maupin, new york
february 28th through april 19th, 2014

for his second show at lehmann maupin, new york, austrian artist erwin wurm continues his investigation of volume and abstraction of the human form with three new bodies of work. known for his synthesis of wit and formalism, reinventing the vocabulary of sculpture and turning it on its head, wurm works with the corporal silhouette in the same manner as a traditional sculptor, yet severely deconstructs and distorts each element of human likeness, mutating the body in unexpected and unconventional variations to further its ambiguity. as an exploration of psychological conditions, the upcoming exhibition ‘synthesa’ — and the series of sculptures whose namesake the show takes — represents the amalgamation of opposing forces, both physical and emotional, traditional and unpredictable.

arch (abstract scuptures), 2013
bronze, paint, wood
8.66 x 16.73 x 5.51 inches 22 x 42.5 x 14 cm
edition of 6
courtesy the artist and lehmann maupin, new york and hong kong

for wurm’s series of ‘abstract sculptures’, he has cast a collection of bronze statues that are the visualization of contorted sausage-like forms. as a challenge to our accepted impressions of the world around us and our perceptions of everyday reality, the frankfurter forms evoke anthropomorphic physical qualities and movement, with an anatomy of long ‘limbs’ and ‘bodies’ that visually mimic the recognizable encased meat shape. typical to wurm’s overall oeuvre, these works are both familiar yet strange, and evoke a sense of contemplation from the viewer.

head (abstract sculptures), 2013
bronze, paint
17.32 x 5.91 x 12.6 inches 44 x 15 x 32 cm
edition of 6
courtesy the artist and lehmann maupin, new york and hong kong

step (abstract sculptures), 2013
bronze, paint, wood
29.92 x 20.47 x 17.72 inches 76 x 52 x 45 cm
edition of 6
courtesy the artist and lehmann maupin, new york and hong kong

white bucket (synthesa), 2013
acrylic, paint, plastic bucket
90.55 x 31.5 x 23.62 inches, 230 x 80 x 60 cm
edition of 3
courtesy the artist and lehmann maupin, new york and hong kong

double white bucket (synthesa), 2013
acrylic, paint, plastic buckets
49.61 x 22.83 x 14.96 inches 126 x 58 x 38 cm
edition of 3
courtesy the artist and lehmann maupin, new york and hong kong

she he she (synthesa), 2013
acrylic, paint
70.08 x 19.69 x 39.37 inches 178 x 50 x 100 cm
edition of 3
courtesy the artist and lehmann maupin, new york and hong kong