- Venue
- York St Mary's
- Location
- Yorkshire
The diverse art of internationally renowned artist Bruce Nauman will be going on show in York St Mary’s from July till November 2013.
The American sculptor noted also for his environments, films and videotapes was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1941 and studied mathematics and physics at the University of Wisconsin Madison before studying art at the University of California.
Nauman put down his paint brush in 1965 and began to make objects, performance pieces and films. During this time he rose to prominence to become one of America’s most influential and respected conceptual artists to date, noted particularly for his sculptures, his iconic neon word pieces which employ word play sometimes more or less illegible, and his video works. Since 1968 his work has consisted mainly of performance pieces and films of actions such as Bouncing Two Balls between the Floor and the Ceiling with Changing Rhythms 1967-68, or corridors and installations involving a limited degree of spectator participation and exploring effects of parallax, audio-tactile separation which provokes the viewer into disorientation and dismay.
His work has been exhibited all over the world including the 2004 Unilever Turbine Hall commission at Tate Modern. This important exhibition at York St Mary’s concentrates on Nauman’s interest in the ambiguities of language, bringing together a selection of nine pieces of work, from early neon word pieces La Brea/Art Tips/Rat Spit/Tar Pits dated 1972 and Violins Violence Silence 1981-2 to video works ranging from 1985-1999 in which he employed actors to explore language and its delivery, activity and human psychology.
The works on display at St Mary’s have been carefully selected from ARTIST ROOMS, an inspirational collection of modern and contemporary art acquired for the nation by Tate and The National Galleries of Scotland through the generosity of Anthony d’Offay with additional support from funders, including the Art Fund. As locals know, York St Mary’s is a beautiful medieval church which opened as a contemporary visual art venue in 2004. Each year, York Art Gallery commissions an artist to create a site-specific installation within this unique space or invites an artist to show an existing work.
Upon speaking to the assistant curator of fine art at York Museums Trust, Jennifer Alexander said:
“For those new to Nauman’s work, this collection from ARTIST ROOMS and Tate will provide an introduction, and for those more familiar with Nauman, this is a chance to consider his work in the beautiful and unique architectural context of York St Mary’s.”
Here we can question how the experience of this exhibition may change according to the different spaces in which it is presented. After viewing Nauman’s work on previous occasions in a white cubed space, it is now interesting to consider the context of the church and how the pieces may take on new layers of meanings. Raw Material Washing Hands, Normal (A of A/B) Raw Material Washing Hands, Normal (B of A/B) 1996 captures the artist performing the daily task of washing his hands – an everyday action which has developed new meanings when considering the religious connotations of ritualistic cleansing and washing, helped by the repetition and duration of the piece being 55mins 46secs. Moreover, Untitled (Hand Circle) 1996 comprises realistic disembodied hands, cast in bronze from Nauman’s own, forming a circular shape, which some visitors have already interpreted as a religious chaplet.
What is also interesting here is how the ARTISTS ROOMS are exhibiting Nauman’s work within this idiosyncratic venue, highlighting the new kinds of alternative spaces that are materialising now, not only for emerging artists like myself, but how these spaces are attractive to artists well established in their careers.
Alexander states, “The space is so incredible you need something to stand up to it, I choose Three Dead End Adjacent Tunnels, Not Connected 1981 from the ARTIST ROOMS collection as we wanted a piece that fills the space and a collective exhibition that responds to the space”. This sculpture made from cast iron, displays Nauman’s love of geometry, particularly the relationships between squares, circles and triangles and is situated on the lower floor of the church. Nauman has stated how he finds triangles really uncomfortable spaces as there is no feeling of security. He expresses a strong emotional response to the shape of architectural spaces mirroring the notion of the alternative architectural venue in which the work is housed. Also this work foregrounds the phenomenological aspect of his exploration of perception, space, and the body, having a dominance within the space but could also easily go unnoticed if the small barriers around the piece were ever removed.
Nauman’s work is significant not only due to his dismantling regimes of linguistic structures, oxymorons and themes of communication, but how his works in this time of profound change, are exploring and questioning the nature of art. The works explore the shifting relationship on how artists work can shape and inform curatorial premise and his importance to remind the viewer of the making process. Here we can see the shifting relationship between the artwork, artist and viewer, and how the artwork itself can be seen as less important than the initial idea. His restless exploration of art reflects a continual questioning of artistic practice and the role of the artist in society. This is why it is so vital to acquire contemporary artists work to the City of York, especially a figure like Bruce Nauman.
The ARTIST ROOMS tour programme, now in its fifth year, is showing at 16 museums and galleries across the UK in 2013. The exhibition here at York St Mary’s will be on till November 2013.
