B. Wurtz on Modest Objects, Artistic Play, and Avoiding Obsession

Artist B. Wurtz, interviewed by Ross Simonini in his Lower Manhattan home and studio, discusses his consistent artistic practice spanning over 40 years. Wurtz, who graduated from Cal Arts in the early 1980s, creates untitled works using everyday domestic items like socks, plastic bags, tin cans, and bread bags. He emphasizes preserving the integrity of found objects while adding formal arrangements, avoiding spectacle. The artist prefers generic items like tin cans over objects with strong personalities, allowing more compositional freedom. Wurtz mentions influences including Marcel Duchamp and references Donald Judd and Joseph Beuys in discussing artistic personality. He describes his process as playful, akin to childhood play, and values studio failures as opportunities. His wife Ann serves as a critic, and he notes increasing attention from younger artists in recent years. Wurtz has never lived off his art, maintaining freelance day jobs, and has exhibited regularly though often outside mainstream trends. The interview, from the Summer 2017 issue of ArtReview, reveals his thoughts on materials like plastic bags, which he hoards anticipating future bans, and his health-conscious lifestyle reflected in works using organic bean cans and whole-grain bread bags.