Erwin Wurm’s Volkswagen Hot Dog Bus Serves at Brooklyn Bridge Park

Erwin Wurm’s Volkswagen Hot Dog Bus Serves at Brooklyn Bridge Park - TheArsenale

The Public Art Fund takes one of artist Erwin Wurm’s inflated cars and tranforms it into a food truck that serves free hot dogs in Brooklyn Bridge Park. In 2015, the Austrian artist built his first food truck to accompany his exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, where he served currywurst sausages to the public. Now, he takes the iconic Volkswagen Minibus and reimagines it as a voluptuous footstand on wheels. Edwin Wurm’s chunky Volkswagen Minivan is restyled in a fashion similar to contemporary artist Fernando Botero, and forges a link between humor and the materiality of products. Public Art Fund Associate Curator, Daniel S. Palmer, comments, “At first it seems playful, but Wurm’s absurd food truck creates a paradoxical tension and expresses a wry observation of our culture’s tendency toward excess.”  Wurm offers visitors of his 'Hot Dog Bus' the chance to transform their bodies by eating hot dogs however they choose. The artist is fascinated with gluttony and how people can transform their physical appearance by gaining or losing body mass, and this piece links his artistic curiosities while inviting the public to help further his research. Each visitor is limited to one hot dog per-day, so the transformation of each individual's body shouldn't be too noticeable. You can watch the artist showcase and discuss his sculpture in further detail below.