Big Kastenmann

Austrian Erwin Wurm was born in 1954 and is known for his social sculptures, images that highlight social issues. Wurm is fascinated by materialism, status symbols, fashion trends and advertising. With his work he ironically mocks today’s consumer society.

The statue “Big Kastenmann” – literally translated: Big Box Man – is part of a series of headless figures. Clothing normally acts as a second skin, but in this image the mass of the human body and head is missing. The thin layer of aluminium creates the illusion of a body, but it is not actually there. This makes “Big Kastenmann” a metaphor for the proverb: clothes maketh the man. By omitting everything, such as a face or a body shape, that makes the human figure personal, all attention is focused on the clothing, the symbol of status and identity.