http://ubu.com/film/nauman_gooda.html
http://ubu.com/film/nauman_goodb.html
(To be played simultaneously)
“Good Boy Bad Boy”, 1985, Video (2 monitors), 15 minutes
This piece explores the connection with public and private experiences (as “Art Make-Up” did in the ’60s) by having actors deliver an emotional performance directly at the viewer juxtaposed with seemingly innocent lines. They say, “I am a good boy, we are good boys, [etc.]”. Nauman puts two videos on pedestals, each with an actor reading the same lines. They repeat these same lines multiple times, with increasing emotion and decreasing synchronization. Because they’re actors, the emotions aren’t genuine, but it’s still jarring to walk into a gallery space and have these two people speaking in an angry and accusatory manner. This is further like “Art Make-up” in that the work feels intimate, despite being an exhibition. The viewing experience feels voyeuristic. This piece ties in with Nauman’s recurring themes of communication/language and playing with society’s behavioral codes.
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“Clown Torture”1987, Video (4 monitors), 60 minute loop
Tape I/Reel A: “Clown Taking a Shit” (color and sound – 60 minutes)
Tape II/Reel B: “Clown With a Goldfish,” “Clown With Water Bucket”
Reel C: “Pete and Repeat”
Reel D: “No, No, No, No (Walter)” (color and sound – 60 minutes)
Tape III
Reel C: “Pete and Repeat”
Reel D: “No, No, No, No (Walter)”
Reel B: “Clown With Goldfish,” “Clown With Water Bucket” (color and sound – 60 minutes)
Tape IV
Reel D: “No, No, No, No (Walter)”
Reel B: “”Clown With a Goldfish,” “Clown With Water Bucket”
Reel C: “Pete and Repeat” (color and sound – 60 minutes)
“Clown Torture” marked a re-invigoration of Nauman’s video art, and displayed his further interest in the viewer’s experience. With this piece, he is using the gallery space in a way that he hadn’t until this point, but would continue to do in future gallery installations. This piece is an aggressive sensory assault on the viewer.
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“Vices and Virtues”, 1988, Neon Signs on building (Powell Engineering Lab, University of California San Diego)
Nauman returns here to neon signs, this time broadcasting his message on a larger scale. In the tradition of neon signs for businesses and advertising, he has installed these signs on a building. Further, the building is old and industrial, implying more about the industrial and societal implications of this piece. The signs themselves portray conflicting messages: both Vices and Virtues. This dichotomy is prevalent in a culture of industry and advertising. This piece is further exploring the role of the artist as a communicator and as one who “reveals mystic truths”.
A video explaining the installation of this piece can be found here.