Bruce Nauman's 'Disappearing Acts' Retrospective at Schaulager Basel

The Schaulager in Basel is hosting 'Disappearing Acts,' the most comprehensive Bruce Nauman retrospective in 25 years, curated by Kathy Halbreich, Heidi Naef, Isabel Friedli, and Taylor Walsh. The exhibition occupies the entire basement and underground levels, displacing permanent works by Robert Gober and Katharina Fritsch. It runs until August 26, 2018, before traveling to MoMA and MoMA PS1 in New York. The show features over 200 works spanning Nauman's career from the 1960s to a new 3D video, 'Contrapposto Split' (2018), filmed in 4K at 120 fps. Nauman's practice encompasses video, film, performance, sculpture, neon, sound, and installation, often questioning the role of the artist and the nature of art. The Emanuel Hoffmann Foundation, owner of the Schaulager collection, has acquired Nauman's works since the early 1970s, building one of the largest holdings of his art. The exhibition highlights themes of disappearance, absence, and surveillance, with key works like 'The True Artist Helps the World by Revealing Mystic Truths' (1967), 'Corridor Installation' (1970), and 'Clown Torture' (1987). Nauman's influences include Marcel Duchamp, John Cage, Samuel Beckett, and Ludwig Wittgenstein.