Erwin Wurm Exhibition in Riga – A Day of Art, Food, and Surprises

Visiting the Exhibition Center

Today we’re heading to the ZUZEUM art exhibition center in Riga, and it’s already an experience before even seeing the artworks. The building is modern, sleek, and creative. There’s a cool gift shop packed with art-related books, a cozy café, and even a roof terrace (city views not so much, just a parking lot). Even the toilet has a cheeky design touch — you know you’re in for something playful when the humor starts there.

This time, the big highlight is Austrian artist Erwin Wurm. He’s considered one of the most influential European artists of recent decades, known for mixing figuration, philosophy, and absurdity. His motto? Everything is connected to everything else. Wurm often treats the human body as a flexible link between the organic and the man-made, poking fun at consumer culture and its obsession with status symbols.

Erwin Wurm’s World: The Artworks

The Fat Convertible

The exhibition opens with a jaw-dropping piece: The Fat Convertible. A car you know and recognize, transformed into something almost cartoon-like. Made of polished aluminum, it’s shiny enough to see your reflection in. The wheels are tucked under its inflated curves, giving it that bloated, surreal look that Wurm is famous for.

Handbags on Legs

Next up: handbags — but with legs. Wurm takes the ultimate consumer status symbol and twists it into something absurd. These cartoonish sculptures look like real handbags, some painted bright red, sprouting long, slender legs that almost look alive. Are the boots real? Casted? Painted? Hard to tell, and that’s part of the fun.

One Minute Sculptures

This was one of my favorites: Wurm’s One Minute Sculptures. A giant police hat, perfectly crafted inside and out. You can even stick your hand inside and discover all the little details.

But the best part is the interactive area. Here, you can actually become part of the art. Wurm leaves instructions by each piece, inviting visitors to pose with everyday objects in strange ways.

• Toilet brush sculpture – You lean your head under a balanced toilet cleaner bottle, instantly becoming a sculpture yourself.
• Chair pants – Yes, you literally wear a chair as pants, climb onto a podium, and suddenly you’re the artwork.
• Whiskey cabinet – Step inside, open the doors, and find a hidden bottle of whiskey. Raise a toast with your friends — part art, part absurd performance.

And then there’s the big climbing structure — not much to look at at first, but sturdy enough for the whole family to get on top. Everyone becomes part of Wurm’s absurd universe.

This playful interactivity is what makes Wurm’s exhibitions so unique. Usually, museums scream “Don’t touch!” Here, he’s telling you: touch, climb, wear, play. It changes the way you experience art completely.

All in all, it was a very fun experience, and I wish there were more exhibitions like this that break the barrier between art watchers and art makers. Even my youngest enjoyed it — in a museum where usually you cannot touch anything, she was suddenly free to climb, pose, and interact. It gave her a brand-new, exciting experience, and she already wants to visit another exhibition like this again.

Watch the full youtube video:

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Lunch Break at Meat Daddy

After the museum, it was time for food. We found a place called Meat Daddy Tex-Mex BBQ, which people online had hyped up as the best Mexican restaurant in the world. Naturally, we had to try it.

The staff were super welcoming, even letting us film everything. They even have sombreros if you are in a mood to eat your tacos with style.

We ordered:

• Three beef tacos
• Vegetarian tacos with three different toppings
• Nachos with cheese and lettuce
• Mexican cola

The verdict?

Delicious, though the vegetarian tacos were actually better than the meat ones. I also tried one of their super-spicy sauces — “Death of the Berries.” With ingredients like Naga Viper and Death Spiral Junior peppers, it didn’t just burn, it sneaked up from behind and destroyed me slowly. Brutal but fun.

And outside, I noticed something cool: they grow their own peppers right there in planters on the terrace. Nice touch.

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The “Fake Banksy” Exhibition Rant

Of course, no trip is complete without checking for new street art and leaving some of my own stickers. I even found a perfect spot for one of my rare horizontal stickers — usually my designs are vertical because they fit road signs better.

Now, here’s where my day took a turn. Walking through Riga, I came across a sticker that advertises the so-called “unauthorized Banksy exhibition in Riga.” Let me be clear: it’s fake. A blatant money grab.

They took an old market pavilion, filled it with copied Banksy works, and slapped a €25 ticket price on it. On top of that, they’re running a gift shop selling €25 t-shirts with stolen designs.

What shocked me most wasn’t the scam itself, but the fact that public media and even insurance companies backed it. I spoke out loudly on social media, and the organizers weren’t happy. But honestly? This kind of fake art exploitation is unacceptable.

If you want real street art in Riga, you’ll find it on the walls outside — not in a scammy “unauthorized” show.

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Art Supplies Heaven

To reset from the Banksy nonsense, I stopped at one of Riga’s best art stores: The Pencil and the Brush. If you’re ever in town and need supplies, this place has everything.

I even found the Posca marker I’ve been hunting for — perfect for fine details in my paintings. That alone made the stop worth it.

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A Secret Courtyard Sculpture

My wife insisted we check out a hidden spot in the city: a giant walrus fountain tucked away in an inner courtyard. Built in the 1930s, it used to spit water from its mouth through a small tube. Now it’s just a quirky relic, but still a cool piece of Riga history.

The courtyard itself is covered in tags, giving the whole place that urban, lived-in vibe. Even the building details are fun — like a carved squirrel holding a nut on the facade. Half crumbling, half charming.

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Wrapping Up

That was the day: from Erwin Wurm’s absurd and playful world, to tacos and burning hot sauce, to fighting fake art, finding the perfect marker, and stumbling on a walrus in a courtyard.

Thanks for following along. I hope you enjoyed this museum visit and city walk as much as I did. Let me know in the comments if you’d like to see more art exhibitions featured in future posts — just like on my European Street Art Tour.

Until next time!

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