When it comes to interactive art pieces and going beyond the traditional works of art, there's nothing more out-of-the-box than the sculptures by Austrian artist Erwin Wurm. And his latest piece, dubbed as the “Austrian Mountain Cap,” will be on display at Robinsons Galleria Ortigas in Quezon City from January 23 to July 12, 2020. Anyone can check out the massive work of art for free.

Wurm was born in Styria, Austria in 1954, and currently shuffles between Vienna and Limberg in the same country. He majored in the study of History Art, German Language, and Literature Studies at the University of Graz; then pursued further education in Art Studies at Mozarteum University Salzburg; and went on to study at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna.

He is popular for his series called "One Minute Sculptures," which was first exhibited in 1988 and has traveled to different parts of the world, including the 57th Venice Biennale in Italy in 2017. This collection uses everyday objects, such as chairs, buckets, fruits, basins, and a pair of sneakers. Unlike in usual exhibitions in a four-walled gallery or huge museum that you cannot touch, Wurm encourages viewers to interact with the objects by providing drawn and written instructions on what one should do with a particular item for 60 seconds. Two people are invited to squeeze inside the huge sweater, one is told to take the pair of shoes and hold it between your legs or wear a green basin on your head, and another piece wants you to balance a sharpie between your knee and chin. Every bit is Instagram-worthy; and just for fun, part of the instructions for this series is to recite a poem while posing for a whole minute.

In the same vein, the large mountain cap to be displayed at Robinsons Galleria Ortigas prompts audience participation. You are invited to “wear” the oversized bonnet by going under the piece made from polyester resin and cloth. And, of course, what comes next is to ask someone to take your photo or go for a selfie yourself. 

The highly interactive exhibition is part of Wurm’s performative sculpture series of giant hats that started in 2010.  For the artist, hats symbolizes protection and the mountain cap that he created shows on how mountaineers are guarded from natural elements. It’s especially useful in snow-covered terrain, where you need a knitted and thick cloth to warm your head.  

The “Austrian Mountain Cap” is just one of Robinsons Malls' efforts to bring out connections between mall-goers by making wonderful art pieces accessible to everyone. Art, after all, affects people from all walks of life.

This art installation is part of Robinsons Malls Art Series and its efforts to bring out connections between mall-goers by making wonderful art pieces accessible to everyone.  In January 2018, Robinsons Place Naga unveiled “Tree of Life,” which is a two-storey fiberglass sculpture by Filipino-American artist Jefre Figueras Manuel.  It also functions as a display surface for video projection. In September 2019, the newly-opened Robinsons Galleria South welcomed shoppers with "Heaven's Gate," also by Manuel.  All three installations are free and open to the public.

This 2020, leading property developer Robinsons Land Corporation (RLC), continuously promote the art culture as it launches ARTablado (art + entablado), a platform to empower and showcase the ingenuity of Filipino creativity.  ARTablado aims to pave the way towards greater awareness for the beauty and power of art by recognizing talent and hard work of Filipino artists.  ARTablado is RLC’s legacy, giving the promising and emerging artists a creative venue to freely express themselves through art.