Dossier - Bruce Nauman
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Bruce Nauman
1941, Fort Wayne U.S.A. - Galisteo U.S.A.

Bruce Nauman is one of America’s most versatile and influential artists. Since 1965, he has been making sculptures, neon pieces, holograms, drawings and books, as well as working with video and other audiovisual materials.
Nauman’s work revolves around issues of human existence, and he has little faith in people’s ability to communicate. Violence, fear and isolation are important themes in his work. He once said in an interview, ‘All of my work comes from frustration about humanity. Why people refuse to understand one another and why they can be so cruel to each other.’ Despite its sombre and serious content, his work is not lacking in light-heartedness and humour, though this is sometimes rather wry.
In ‘Hand Puppet’ (1990), a hand cut out of cardboard enacts a light-hearted shadow play. However, if you look at it out of the corner of your eye, the dangling object looks distinctly like a dead body strung up on a gallows. Hands play an important role in Nauman’s work, enacting the inventions of the brain, speaking in clear body language and showing what people are capable of when driven by their emotions. Hands can create, stroke and kill.
In 1995, the museum acquired Hand Puppet’ (1990), an eight-part series of prints entitled ‘Fingers and Holes’ (1994) and an etching ‘Untitled’ from 1990-91.
Zonder titel (Fingers & Holes), 1994

Images
Collection Bonnefantenmuseum
Zonder titel (Fingers & Holes), 1994
Zonder titel (Fingers and Holes), 1994
Zonder titel (Hands), 1990-1991
Hand Puppet, 1990