Rinde Head/Andrew Head (Plug to Nose) on Wax Base

Mediums: dyed wax.
Location: The Froehlich Collection, Stuttgart (Germany).

Bruce Nauman made these hollow wax heads of three modules of wax. The models for most variations of the theme were living people: Juliet, Andrew and Rinde. Covering their heads with plastic material, the artist inserted tubes through which they could breathe. This is where the effect of the “plug” appeared. The artist needs to preserve the evidence of the work process, as it is a means of revealing the whole nature of art. The strange compositional arrangement of the details reflects the author’s interest in the difficulties of communication between people, and the contrasting colours are a hint of the individuality of each of them. Nauman later expanded the idea in The Three-Head Fountain, filling the elements with water that flowed through special openings.