Bruce Nauman
dal 16/9/2005 al 22/10/2005
Segnalato da
16/9/2005
Bruce Nauman
Donald Young Gallery, Chicago
The exhibition will include major fountain sculptures consisting of cast bronze fish from Midwestern lakes (the area where the artist grew up) and resin heads that sprinkle water from hundreds of perforations. The idea of the fountain dates back to his early work of the 1960s such as Self-Portrait as a Fountain and more recently in the early 1990s with a fountain made of cast bronze foxes
Donald Young Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of new work by
Bruce Nauman with three major fountain sculptures and drawings.
One Hundred Fish Fountain is comprised of 97 fish, cast in bronze, which
hang by wires from a suspended metal grid. Water, from a large basin on the
floor, is pumped through clear tubing to the fish and sprays out of the
their bodies in all directions from hundreds of randomly punctured holes.
The fountain runs on a scheduled timer so that the viewer witnesses the
jolting sound and movement as the fish fill with water as well as the
silence when the pumps are turned off followed by the water slowly trickling
out of each fish. In a second gallery are two fountains entitled 3 Heads
Fountain (3 Andrews) and 3 Heads Fountain (Juliet, Andrew, Rinde) each of
which consists of three epoxy resin and fiberglass heads wired together with
water spraying from the many holes.
Within each of the fountains there is a sense of violence and violation.
The fish are removed from their natural habitat, cast in bronze and
punctured with holes. The harsh treatment of these fish is reminiscent of
Nauman¹s skinned animal series from the late 1980s. The intense noise of the
water splashing in the basin, paired with the visual enormity of the 97 fish
and the thickness of the humid air creates a multi-sensory experience that
is both aggressive and overpowering.
The sight of the fish connected to water pumps, almost like an IV, is
surreal and beautiful at the same time. This analogy in terms of an IV and
hose is made even more apparent with the severed head fountains where it is
as if vital liquid is being pumped into the heads only to escape once again
through the punctured holes. When stopped, the dripping water has a
powerful reference to the human condition and a feeling of loss. The heads
were first seen in Nauman¹s work in 1989.
The idea of the fountain dates back to his early work of the 1960s such as
Self-Portrait as a Fountain and more recently in the early 1990s with a
fountain made of cast bronze foxes. The reference of the fish dates back to
Nauman¹s early film piece from 1966 Fishing for an Asian Carp but also
refers to personal memories of the artist growing up in the Midwest and
fishing with his father on Lake Michigan. From this, came his choice of
using only fresh water fish from the lake: salmon; whitefish; bass and
catfish.
If you would like more information, please contact Emily Letourneau at 312.455.0100 or visit the website
Donald Young Gallery
933 W. Washington Blvd. Chicago, IL 60607
Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10:00 to 5:30 and Saturday, 11:00
to 5:30.