As absurdists go, Erwin Wurm displays an especially dry sense of humor while messing with our perceptions of and relationships to the objects that share our lives. The purist expression of his wry aesthetic comes in the form of his “One Minute Sculptures,” an ongoing series of viewer-activated pieces that began 20 years ago. Their premise is simple: Following instructions posted as a diagram or a text, a person interacts with an item or items for exactly
60 seconds. Manifestations of said works have included kneeling in prayer with a lemon stuffed in your mouth, taking off your jeans and pulling them over your head, and holding a shoe to your ear à la Maxwell Smart. The point is plain enough: By subjecting yourself to looking ridiculous, you too can become a work of art.
While this show highlights other sculptures in a similarly puckish vein—a perilously balanced arrangement of pickles, a bubblegum-pink building model that looks like it’s deflating—the main attraction is another group of “One Minute” projects made from pieces of midcentury modern furniture. An opening cut in the top of an entertainment console invites you to substitute your head for the TV. A coffee table has two holes—one for each leg—punched through it so the piece comes up to your thighs like a snow drift.
It’s all harmless fun that, if not particularly deep, is easy on the eyes. Wurm’s refined style manages to make you look good, even while you look silly.