Bruce Nauman: Contrapposto Studies

The witty American conceptualist offers a fresh twist on his classic 1960s walking piece

Contrapposto refers to a pose in which the human subject is turned slightly so that the bust is positioned off-axis from the lower body. American artist Bruce Nauman (born 1941) explores this ancient artistic concept with his most recent project, in which he revisits his 1968 video piece Walk with Contrapposto that depicts the artist’s attempt to hold the classic pose as he walks down a narrow corridor. Nauman uses today’s digital manipulation technologies to build upon this early work in an entirely new context, questioning the representation of human movement and human stillness throughout history. This volume, designed by London-based graphics studio Zak Group, presents documentation of Nauman’s Contrapposto series from 2015 to 2019 as well as the original video, with new essays that extrapolate upon Nauman’s use of space and performance throughout his career.