There is no avoiding Erwin Wurm in 2017. Internationally represented in several major exhibitions, his works are most notably be shown alongside Brigitte Kowanz at the Austrian Pavilion of this year’s Art Biennial in Venice. The Belvedere has been documenting the renowned artist’s work in preparation for the Biennale and, beginning in June, the Belvedere 21 will show his statues and performative sculptures. To kick things off, visitors are greeted by Wurm’s Fat House on the Upper Belvedere.

Erwin Wurm has been exploring the expressive possibilities of sculpture for over 35 years. As profound as it is ironic, his multifaceted body of work encompasses nearly all genres and extends the concept of sculpture via its interactive, social and temporal aspects. With his Fat Sculptures – ‘fatty’ middle-class status symbols like cars or single-family homes – the sculptor delivers snappy and striking commentary on today’s consumer society.

Starting on May 6th, the southern end of the Upper Belvedere hosts one of Erwin Wurm’s famous fat houses (Fat House, 2003), which was acquiredfor the Belvedere collection 2016. The obese house contains a video projection in which the very same swollen building argues with himself and poses existential questions to the incoming visitor, such as: ‘When does a house become art and who determines that?’ The sculpture, accessible at no charge in the Belvedere’s garden, presents a taste of Wurm’s contribution to the Venice Biennale as well as of the exhibition ‘Erwin Wurm – Performative Sculptures’ which is on display in the nearby Belvedere 21 from 2 June to 10 September 2017. The exhibition is curated by Severin Dünser and Alfred Weidinger.