ExhibitionOctober 30, 2020
Bruce Nauman at the Tate Modern
An exhibition that introduces the spectator into Bruce Nauman’s questioning of the art world, a chaotic and immersive experience through installations, neons, videos, film, and sound, both ground-breaking and uncomfortable for the viewer. Nauman’s interest in uncertainty and shades of meaning relates to daily human experience, death, punishment, mental health, and even childhood games and entertainment through a sometimes macabre dialogue in his works.
For more than 50 years, Bruce Nauman (born 1941, Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States) has continually inquired and reinvented what an artwork can be, and for that reason, his work cannot be categorized in one movement, genre, or medium. This is the first major exhibition of his oeuvre in London in more than 20 years. On view until 21 February 2021.
Relevant works like Double Steel Cage Piece 1974, Anthro/Socio (Rinde Spinning) consists of two cages, one inside the other with a narrow gap between the two of them, barely sufficient for anyone to squeeze through. As with other works Nauman made at this time, it corresponds to his own body size. Another important work is Clown Torture 1987, one of his earliest works; here, in contrast to the clowns found in children’s entertainment, he explores this archetype’s evil side.
About this work, he explained “When you think of a vaudeville clown, there is a lot of cruelty and meanness … Then there’s the history of the unhappy clown... The clown’s obligation to perform and obscure their ‘true’ self.”
Tate Modern and Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam organized the exhibition in collaboration with Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan.
For more information, visit: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/bruce-nauman/exhibition-guide
For more than 50 years, Bruce Nauman (born 1941, Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States) has continually inquired and reinvented what an artwork can be, and for that reason, his work cannot be categorized in one movement, genre, or medium. This is the first major exhibition of his oeuvre in London in more than 20 years. On view until 21 February 2021.
Relevant works like Double Steel Cage Piece 1974, Anthro/Socio (Rinde Spinning) consists of two cages, one inside the other with a narrow gap between the two of them, barely sufficient for anyone to squeeze through. As with other works Nauman made at this time, it corresponds to his own body size. Another important work is Clown Torture 1987, one of his earliest works; here, in contrast to the clowns found in children’s entertainment, he explores this archetype’s evil side.
About this work, he explained “When you think of a vaudeville clown, there is a lot of cruelty and meanness … Then there’s the history of the unhappy clown... The clown’s obligation to perform and obscure their ‘true’ self.”
Tate Modern and Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam organized the exhibition in collaboration with Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan.
For more information, visit: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/bruce-nauman/exhibition-guide
