ERWIN WURM
ONE DAY YES / ONE DAY NO
CAMDEN ARTS PROJECTS, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
30 JANUARY – 26 APRIL 2026
Perhaps the best way to approach the main concept behind Erwin Wurm's career is to ask oneself what he means by "the idea of sculptural." Is the "sculptural" intrinsically linked to concepts such as stillness, volume, and time? Undoubtedly, the Austrian artist's internationally renowned career suggests otherwise. In ONE DAY YES / ONE DAY NO, Erwin Wurm invites the viewer to question their own preconceived perspective through new and recent work. With his unmistakable and paradoxical approach to contemporary society, he offers the opportunity to perceive reality in a different way. Perhaps even to "sculpt" time and the collective memory of everyday life with a new gaze.
In this exhibition, "One Minute Sculptures"—located on the gallery's mezzanine—operates as the conceptual pillar. In this piece, Erwin Wurm "uses simple props and instructions inviting the public to hold specific positions for one-minute. Often placed in an awkward or paradoxical relationship to the presented objects, the participating viewer becomes part of the sculpture for an ephemeral time." Though it is not necessary to adhere strictly to the time span of a minute, it is merely a time frame for a ‘short time’. When participating in "One Minute Sculptures", one becomes an active participant in the exhibition and thus has the opportunity to embody Erwin's concept of sculpture.
In the main gallery, ten majestic plants dressed in secondhand clothing compose ONE DAY YES / ONE DAY NO. Inspired by the TAIPEI IN ONE MINUTE exhibition at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum in 2020, these anthropomorphic sculptures will share a slow choreography in search of the natural light filtered through the second-floor windows. The nature of the medium chosen for these sculptures—plants, which are living organisms that appear static and unmoving to the human eye—leads to examining the intrinsic relationship between the concepts of time and change, as well as all the contextual factors that allow and drive such change. People's interactions, body temperature, breathing, paths, and movements throughout the gallery will cause a change in the behaviour of the plants, just as their individual, compelling need to reach for the light does. Once again, Wurm's work blurs the line between spectator and participant, underscoring the importance that society and the collective exert on the individual.
In the courtyard, gigantic and erected like a pole is "Cucumber" (2020). Without a doubt, pickles (as well as sausages) have become the most repeated symbol throughout the artist's remarkable career. Even used as a sign of identity or as the artist's signature, Wurm is fully aware of the connotations of these sculptures (often enlarged scales, grotesque positions or absurd contexts). In Wurm’s words: “Rather like potatoes, cucumbers are an age-old non-shape. There are millions of different cucumbers. No cucumber is the same as the next, rather like people. That appeals me a great deal.” Certainly, this nearly 3-meter-tall sculpture, visible from the streets near the gallery, sets the tone and the starting point for the exhibition.
If, as he says, "Sculpture is everything", delving into One Day Yes / One Day No results in the exhibition "sculpturing" the viewers as both observers and participants, both figuratively and physically. In this ephemeral instant, Wurm’s work allows one to reflect on their own participation and interpretation of everything that surrounds them.