“The ordinary is so close and familiar to us that we tend to overlook it. Looking at the ordinary from the perspective of the absurd and the paradoxical gives us the opportunity to see something different, perhaps something more interesting.”

— Erwin Wurm

At first, Erwin Wurm’s sculptures, which initially appear to be everyday objects, are displayed throughout the rooms of the Palazzo Fortuny.

On our way up to the first floor, we encounter human sculptures made entirely from clothes – no hands, no faces. These are the so-called “Clothes Sculptures”, or “Hoodies” and “Substitutes”. Are they our outer shells, our armour? After all, our clothes shape our outward appearance and, in turn, our identity. Do we disappear inside a jumper? Is the garment skin-tight? What am I trying to present? Here, we can ask ourselves: “Where does the human being end, and where does the sculpture begin?”

On the first main floor, we see the “Dreamers”, the dreaming figures that give the exhibition both its title and its central theme. Alongside them are cushions from which either a human arm or human legs emerge. The word “Dreamers” is particularly fitting: in dreams, the normal rules of reality do not necessarily apply. Bodies can change shape, objects can come to life, and the absurd can appear completely logical.

When looking at these human body parts, we might ask ourselves: what exactly is happening to them? Why is someone sitting there? Why are someone’s legs twisted into such an unusual position, as though they urgently need the toilet? And why is that arm emerging from the cushion? What are these people dreaming about?

On the second floor, things became particularly interesting. This was where we found the “One Minute Sculptures” – and the gherkins!

Let’s start with the “Gherkins”.

For Erwin Wurm, these are much more than an absurd joke. They are one of his recurring motifs and also have a personal significance: after walks together, Wurm’s grandfather would reward him with pickled gherkins, so the gherkins are also connected to his childhood and social environment.

Every gherkin looks different, yet we still recognise that it is a gherkin. And that is where the parallel with human beings comes in – everyone is an individual. (Of course, you could say the same about cats, chairs and cars… but Wurm chose the gherkin!)

There may also be another interpretation: the shape of a gherkin naturally resembles the male sexual organ. Wurm plays with this association quite deliberately. In an interview, he explains that gherkins and sausages are also connected to the male body for him. He even links this sexual symbolism to “toxic masculinity”, power, oppression and violence. At the same time, he makes fun of it.

And then came our personal highlight: the “One Minute Sculptures”!

At first, you see a series of photographs displayed in small rooms. Knives, cigarettes, tables and shelves are arranged in unusual ways – placed on people, positioned between two people, or held in someone’s hands. The photographs are already fascinating and brought a smile to my girls’ faces. But then we approached the main room, and things got even better.

At first, we didn’t dare to try anything, until one of the attendants told us: “You can touch everything and become a One Minute Sculpture yourselves.”

And that’s exactly what we did!