Bruce Nauman in front of the camera October 27, World Day for Audiovisual Heritage
By the mid-sixties, the American artist Bruce Nauman already understood that the new audiovisual format opened up possibilities that could not be ignored. It marked the beginning of a series of videos that recorded his explorations with his own body in space. The MACBA Collection has a set of significant works from this crucial moment when his work moved from the object to action. The titles speak for themselves. Bouncing Two Balls Between the Floor and Ceiling with Changing Rhythms, Manipulating a Fluorescent Tube, Bouncing in the Corner No. 1, Pinchneck, Dance or Exercise on the Perimeter of a Square (Square Dance), Revolving Upside Down, Pulling Mouth and Walk with Contrapposto, are some. These are early videos in which Nauman records himself in his studio carrying out a series of simple, often repetitive and sometimes absurd actions. Some are fully exploratory (a body in space and a repetitive movement), while others can be read as an ironic take on the Minimalist works of his contemporaries and colleagues. Nauman's explorations in front of the camera continue to be benchmarks.
