photo sharing and upload picture albums photo forums search pictures popular photos photography help login
N-gon | all galleries >> Imagelib > Bruce Nauman, Clown Torture: Clown Taking a Shit, 1987
previous | next
Bruce Nauman, <i>Clown Torture: Clown Taking a Shit</i>, 1987

Bruce Nauman, Clown Torture: Clown Taking a Shit, 1987


other sizes: small medium original
post a comment
tonto 17-Mar-2008 19:00
This gives me a slightly stiff willy.
Joey 19-Sep-2007 19:17
I'm in favor of clown torture, but taking a shit doesn't cut it. Maybe if he was shitting a fistfull of razor blades.
ben 14-Jun-2007 17:17
This is actually a small part of one of Nauman’s most recognizable pieces, “Clown Torture”. It incorporates sound, video, and clowns. Five videos playing at the same time release five separate blaring soundtracks into the same room. There are four monitors, one of which is upside-down, and another on its side, and a projector. The monitors reveal clowns in uncomfortable circumstances, one screaming in terror, another repeating a nursery rhyme "Pete and Repeat were sitting on a fence. Pete fell off; who was left? Repeat. Pete and Repeat were sitting on a fence…." While growing more and more upset and frustrated at his inability to finish, the other two monitors showing two clowns attempting a balancing act (unsuccessfully) with fish bowls and water, and on the projector there a survailance video of a clown using a public restroom.
“Clown Torture” alludes to many different concepts, such as insanity, infinity, voyeurism, surveillance, interrogation, experimentation, and many other concepts that can often be disturbing to the human subconscious. The clown on the monitor repeating the nursery rhyme appears to be caught in an infinite loop. He gets more and more frustrated by the fact that he cannot finish the rhyme and is constantly on the brink of madness. The concept of infinity can be very disturbing to some, including thoughts of “forever” and “eternal”. Why does it disturb us so? Perhaps it’s because of mans’ inquisitive nature and attention-deficite that creates a deep fear of running out of new things to discover and experience, or perhaps the concept of infinity is so far beyond the limits of human thinking that it surpasses our very dimension itself. It could be our nature to breakthrough whatever limits we are given, especially one’s that seem unreachable, making infinity an inescapable mind-prison. Clowns can often be terrifying to some, however, when clown-phobic viewers see footage of a clown screaming at an unseen antagonist, one can’t help but wonder what the clown is screaming at. This causes the viewer to contemplate the unknown and what makes it so scary to humans. Often, our deepest fears manifest when confronted with the unknown which ironically tend to come from our own imagination. Nauman seems to suggest that our biggest fears can be our own manifestations.
The two clowns on the monitors are both attempting to balance fish bowls and buckets of water. The title of the work is “Clown Torture”, but how is this, in any way, torture? However, just maybe viewers can feel for these two clowns, perhaps because they too have been in a situation where meinial tasks must be performed despite the abusurdity of the goal? Like lab rats in an infinite maze, the uncomfortable universal feeling of helplessness dwells in the subconscious of humanity. But why do they still continue to balance these items? Is there anything left in the universe of the clown, or are they doomed to make do with some fishbowls and water buckets for all eternity? Lastly, is the surveillance camera of the clown on the toilet. Does this clown know its being taped? Probably not, however this unearths a sense of parinoia from the mind. How often are we being monitered without our knowledge? There is no way of knowing for sure, but what we do know is that this clown is unwittingly being displayed in front of many others. “Who are we to take part in this sick for of voyeurism?” one might ask. At the same time the viewer-turned-temporary-voyeur may feel both sorry for the clown, and loathing for ones self in taking part of this experiment.
So im not sure if this still image itself "qualifies" as anything, but thats what i think about the exhibit itself...yah.
Guest 04-Apr-2007 04:07
when u takin a shit
grasp 07-Feb-2007 20:07
well its different.
i like how he isnt reading the newspaper
Hannah 19-Jan-2007 17:42
as an art student you are taught to believe that if someone stands there and says this is me and this is my art then its art. Bruce Naumans art is amazing.we may not understand it but sometimes that is the arts purpose and we are wanted to be left questioning what we are seeing.
Simple Simon 103 03-Dec-2006 17:34
Finaly some people who apreiate art for themselfs p.s if any one likes this stuff have a look at Nauman's Raw Materials piece u can actually do walk through type Unilevel Series in Google Images and click on the one that says unilever and have a look at past tate exhibitions and look at the one that says work work work work white on grey and its awsome
Fish11 25-Nov-2006 11:37
i love this, its so random and original! i mean how many other pieces of art are like this? who cares if its 'technically art' if people like it, surely thats what counts?
NoTurdClown 07-Nov-2006 04:18
A clown taking a shit? I love the picture, but I don't know if it's "art" - it sure as hell makes me laugh, though.
Simple Simon 103 06-Nov-2006 11:50
Yea in other words (Eat Shit, 2006)
participantofthespectable 25-Oct-2006 18:23
get informed before you speak.
until then, keep your ignorant mouths shut.
Simple simon103 23-Aug-2006 12:02
Art is what ever the artist who has done it says it is. It could be a painting or a pile of actual shit, some one could walk across the road and fall over and say that that is a piece of unrecorded performance art. However whether or not other people like it or not and agree that it is art is a totally other question all together. Understanding the intentions of the artist is very important if the intentions are meant to be taken in to account that is, and even with the knowledge of the artists intentions we are still aloud to make our own decision and interpretation so that is why no one can say what is art and what isn't. Personally i think ur all stupid for even disputing the question in the first place. Bye
#1 Critic 29-May-2006 10:15
Who gives a shit.
photographer 26-Oct-2005 11:21
walrus says this is what people who cant paint call art..how about photographers, textiles, fashion artists, ceramics, sculpturists, performance artists. they are all art which u cant argue, you can never argue the point at which art stops being art, i take your comment as a huge insult.
me 05-Jun-2005 20:10
Fucking morons, you all have no idea what is happening here. Go back to your faggy figure paintings or lame ass graffiti, whatever it is you claim is actually art you pathetic pieces of shit. Fuck a walrus.
Guest 19-Mar-2005 07:30
If feces is art, then we are all Rembrandt.
Guest 30-Nov-2004 03:03
It's part of the larger context. It is not meant to be seen on its own. Get it: without the rest of the piece, you can't comment on it.
king_zero 28-Nov-2004 23:26
ah, yes, only painters are artists. i love that argument. art shool students love to tell everyone else what 'art' is, direct from the mouth of their instructor. considering what is considered art by the 'experts,' even a monkey can paint...or perhaps even a walrus.
aesthete 26-Nov-2004 03:34
so, enlighten. tell me why it's not art.
Other walrus 25-Nov-2004 14:07
I'm confused. I thought a clown taking a shit was porn, not art. Am I wrong on this one?
walrus 25-Nov-2004 09:55
fuck you, I am the walrus
The Walrus 25-Nov-2004 09:44
This is the sort of thing people who can not paint like to pretend is art.