Bruce Nauman's Days/Giorni at the 2009 Venice Biennale
At the 2009 Venice Biennale, Bruce Nauman presented a new sound and text work titled Days/Giorni, installed in the US pavilion and two off-site venues. The piece features flat white Panphonics speakers arranged in facing pairs along two rooms, each emitting voices reciting days of the week in English and Italian. By moving through the space, listeners can mix the voices into different combinations. The work continues Nauman's exploration of sound and space, recalling his 2005 Raw Materials at Tate Modern. The Biennale also included historical figures like Gutaï, Tony Conrad, Oyvind Fahlström, and Gordon Matta-Clark, with Golden Lions for lifetime achievement awarded to John Baldessari and Yoko Ono. Robert Storr's chronicle in art press n°359 (September 2009) provides a detailed account of the work and the Biennale's social dynamics.
Key facts
- Bruce Nauman created a new sound and text work titled Days/Giorni for the 2009 Venice Biennale.
- The work uses Panphonics flat white speakers attached floor-to-ceiling with drawing clips.
- Speakers are arranged in facing pairs along two rooms, each playing voices reciting days of the week in English and Italian.
- Listeners can mix the voices by moving through the space, creating different combinations.
- The work was installed in the US pavilion and two off-site venues, including the University of Venice at Tolentini.
- Other works by Nauman at the Biennale included End of the World (1996) and Get Out of My Mind, Get Out of this Room (1968).
- The 2009 Biennale featured historical artists such as Gutaï, Tony Conrad, Oyvind Fahlström, and Gordon Matta-Clark.
- Golden Lions for lifetime achievement were awarded to John Baldessari and Yoko Ono.
Entities
Artists
- Bruce Nauman
- John Baldessari
- Yoko Ono
- Tony Conrad
- Oyvind Fahlström
- Gordon Matta-Clark
- Robert Ryman
- Philip Glass
- Meredith Monk
- Steve Reich
- La Monte Young
- Bob Dylan
- Steve McQueen
- Robert Storr
Institutions
- Venice Biennale
- US Pavilion
- University of Venice at Tolentini
- Tate Modern
- art press
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Giardini
- Arsenal
Sources
- artpress —