Big Disobedience

Erwin Wurm was born in 1954 in Austria and is known for breaking the rules of sculpture and creating social sculptures. He turns familiar objects upside down and anthropomorphizes everyday items in an often humorous and unsettling way. In ‘Big Disobedience’, he replaces the human figure with a large suit. The statue is part of a large series of headless figures. He omits the head to focus fully on the clothing as an object, rather than to give the human being status and personality.

Absurdism, sarcasm, and humour help Wurm to address social and philosophical issues: “For me, humour is a way to grab somebody’s attention. I want to motivate people to take a closer look at things.” ‘Big Disobedience’ is a critical look at our society, mentality and lifestyle. The title is borrowed from Henry David Thoreau’s 1849 essay ‘Civil Disobedience’, which is about political and social conformity.