Bruce Nauman
Hanging Heads # 1 (Blue Andrew, Mouth Open / Red Julie with Cap)
Suspended in vivid blue and red wax, these two disembodied heads hang in uneasy proximity, their distorted features capturing the raw tension of human connection and its failures. The open mouth of one figure suggests a desperate attempt at speech or communication, yet the gesture remains forever frozen and unresolved. Together, they embody Nauman's enduring preoccupation with the unbridgeable distances between individuals, evoking both visceral discomfort and a profound sense of longing.
- Medium
- Working across video, sculpture and performance, Bruce Nauman remains acutely aware of the difficulties of communication. Consistently challenging, his art measures the distance between individuals. Silence, masks and layers of mediation all coalesce to frustrate and complicate engagement. Drawing on a rich intellectual tradition that encompasses twentieth century linguistic philosophy and Absurdist theatre, he takes an uncompromising look at the difficulties of communication. These concerns find troubling expression in the present lot. Created in the late 1980s, it belongs to a body of work involving the wax casting of the human head. The resultant sculptural forms are amongst Nauman’s most affecting work; disjunctive arrangements which negotiate grotesquery, longing, and the disconnection between people.
- Spotted At
- Auction House · Phillips
🔨 Auction Lot
Contemporary Art Evening Sale
June 29, 2015
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