A pedantic German police officer in the city of Karlsruhe has given a parking ticket to an Erwin Wurm installation.

The Austrian artist’s humorous mobile artwork consists of a red Mercedes MB100D truck which curves up the wall of Karlsruhe’s Weinbrenner Haus, adjacent to the Center for Art and Media (ZKM) in the city center.

Unfortunately for Wurm, the artwork was “parked” in a restricted parking zone leading an overzealous and humorless German traffic warden to leave behind a €30 fine.

The German police office didn’t get Wurm’s humorous artwork
Photo: ZKM via Facebook

According to Süddeutsche Zeitung, the artist’s sculpture—which was installed in celebration of the 300th anniversary of the city of Karlsruhe—is distorted to show the “mundane from a different perspective.”

As most drivers know, negotiating with traffic wardens is hopelessly futile. Arguing that the vehicle in question is in fact an immobile artwork that can’t be moved because the rear wheels are attached to a building, probably wouldn’t have made a difference.

In a Facebook post, the museum confirmed that “it’s a real ticket which would have to be paid by the ZKM.”

Wurm is known for his humorous approach to art
Photo: Elsa Okazaki via Lentos

Thankfully, the mayor of Karlsruhe came to the rescue and announced that he would formally appeal against the ticket on behalf of the institution. Considering the budget constraints museums are under, Wurm can count himself lucky. The ZKM already jokingly asked the artist to stump up the cash himself in the tongue-in-cheek Facebook post.

One user, commenting on the photos of the truck with the parking ticket, wrote “that’s just typically German,” whilst another pointed out that the artist was lucky that he didn’t “get prosecuted for illegal vehicle modifications.”

The installation was organized by the ZKM Karlsruhe
Photo: Wikimedia Commons