Bruce Nauman, “Five Marching Men”, 1985
Bruce Nauman’s recurring focus on the process rather than the final product is a theme that has been present in many of his contemporaries’ practices. His style continued to develop and push the boundaries of what “art” was as he explored new ways of making art. He was oftentimes more concerned with creating a unique process than what that process would yield. In fact, the process itself was often the final product, in his experimental films specifically. The final product was simply a documentation of the process in these cases.
Nauman’s use of language as an artistic tool is another aspect of his practice that gained popularity in Contemporary art. At the same time others were exploring the power of language in art, Nauman did the same. He – like Joseph Kosuth, John Baldessari and Robert Barry (to name a few) – often made his work almost entirely text. This is specifically seen in his neon signs.
Furthermore, he used his body in his art to a degree that did not become common until the Contemporary era. Vito Acconci also worked frequently in video, and while their work was not video-based in the same way Valie Export, Marina Abramovic, and Gilbert and George also made their own bodies the subject matter of their work and utilized performance and audience participation. Nauman, like all these artists, frequently addressed the viewer in his work.
So, Nauman was very much involved in the Contemporary zeitgeist, using video, performance, language, and his own body to make art.