Erwin Wurm:
I once read that [finding] the short way is the most important thing. I took this maxim to heart. For a period of time in my work, I decided to try to find this short way and express myself through it. It is a reflection of my belief in directness itself. It is the kind of directness that you can find in comics, which I often use in my work.
PZ: Do you consider humor more of a material or result?
EW: First, I think that it’s a way to look at the world. Most artworks try to represent something lofty and important, but I find pathos repulsive. I want to address serious matters but in a light way. Even when we speak about illness or tragedy, for example, it should be possible to speak in a light way. Speaking in a light way is not the same as making superficial conversation or small talk but rather it is to speak in a positive, edifying way. And, of course, humor is a strong part of this agenda. When I speak about death with humor, I can eliminate the pathos because this seriousness then loses its solemnity and grimness.
Light hearted
“The prologue to Shiller’s Wallenstein ends with the line, “Ernst ist das Leben, heiter ist die Kunst”—life is serious, art is lighthearted.
But mathematics is the sister, as well as the servant, of the arts and is touched by the same madness and genius.
Marston Morse
