Prominent artist’s work to be on display at Oklahoma State

Monday, August 8, 2016

The beautiful marriage of the technical side of agriculture and the imagery of art come together every day at Oklahoma State University.

That will never be more true than when an internationally renowned artist’s work will be on display on campus beginning Aug. 8. Through a partnership with The Carl & Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation and OSU’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Bruce Nauman’s artistic video “Setting a Good Corner (Allegory and Metaphor)” will be featured through the end of the calendar year.

The hour-long piece, which depicts Nauman erecting fence posts for a gate on his Las Madres Ranch in New Mexico, challenges viewers to consider the artistry of ranching. While every rancher understands the importance of a sturdy fence, “Setting a Good Corner” considers ordinary actions and daily tasks as an art form.

“I needed to do this. But, at the same time, it made a beautiful structure, and it also was one of these things – Well, here’s the job. If the fence is going to last, it has to be done well,” Nauman said. “And so, you want to do a good job. Other cowboys and ranchers are going to come around and they’ll see it and they’ll say, ‘That’s a good one.’”

The unedited video plays in real time as the artist works silently, although the sounds of his chainsaw, tractor and the wind can be heard, until the job is complete. He considers his labor an artwork, like performance art, as well as a metaphor for the hard work of life itself.

Born in 1941, Nauman is recognized as one of the most influential contemporary artists, emerging in the late 1960s at the forefront post-minimalist sculpture, video and neon.

“I appreciate The Carl & Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation for their willingness to lend this artwork to the OSU Museum of Art and the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources,” said Tom Coon, DASNR vice president. “We are very fortunate to partner again with the OSU Museum of Art to bring the work of contemporary artists to our campus and I am looking forward to our students and staff experiencing Mr. Nauman’s work.”

The video will be played in its entirety in the first floor lobby of Agricultural Hall every Monday at 7:30 a.m. and Tuesday at 12:30 p.m.

Scheduled showings also will be available on the video boards in the Animal Science foyer, the first floor of the Noble Research Center, the second floor lobby in Agriculture Hall and the Agriculture North gallery. Visit museum.okstate.edu for more information.

“You don’t have to sit and watch the whole thing. You can watch for a while, leave and go have lunch or come back in a week, and it’s just going on,” said Nauman. “And I really like that idea of the thing just being there. You could go back and visit whenever you wanted to.”