La Brea/Art Tips/Rat Spit/Tar Pits 1972

Bruce Nauman made this electric sign called 'La Brea/Art Tips/Rat Spit/Tar Pits', and I guess it was made to, well, light up. The way these words are bent into shape, almost like cursive gone wild, reminds me that art is about taking something simple and making it strange. I love the way it flickers with color. The neon feels almost sarcastic, like a comedian winking at you. There's this tension between the slickness of the neon and the raw, almost bodily feel of the words. ‘Rat Spit’ and ‘Tar Pits’ are practically oozing, while ‘Art Tips’ is crisp and knowing. It is also funny how the colour changes between words, the change between Red and Green at the meeting point between ‘Rat Spit’ and ‘Tar Pits’ is my favourite moment on the piece. Nauman, like Jasper Johns, pokes fun at the art world while fully participating in it. It’s a reminder that art can be serious and silly, profound and absurd, all at the same time.