essay “Being an artist has to do with a way of life” – Four steps towards Bruce Nauman by Christel Sauer Nauman’s non-conformist works are possessed of an almost unsurpassable degree of intensity that leaves no possibility of escape. Indifference is not an option. And this situation, however unwelcome it may be, exerts its own fascination… [more]
essay Bruce Nauman Floating Room: Lit from Inside, 1972 by Christel Sauer From the outside, Nauman’s Floating Room looks like a large cube hanging down into the building from above – unpretentiously constructed and with no aesthetic aspirations. The surrounding area is relatively dark, or at all events not illuminated in the way we are otherwise used to in art spaces… [more]
essay Bruce Nauman Flour Arrangements, 1966 by Christel Sauer The seven photos on the wall show static situations of a similar appearance, slightly out of focus, with a greenish hue and at first sight enigmatic motifs, whose physical properties and dimensions are almost impossible to divine. We wonder what we are looking at: aerial shots of formations in the ocean? Police photos of confiscated cocaine? [more]
essay Bruce Nauman The True Artist Is an Amazing Luminous Fountain (Window or Wall Shade), 1966 by Christel Sauer In 1966 Nauman made a standard roller blind the support for a statement about the nature of the artist. The work’s appearance is almost dignified and presents a bizarre contrast to the pink plastic blind – just as does the cryptic message of the text… [more]
