related artist
related exhibition

People could quibble over whether Nauman’s sketches for installations are art works or just preparation. But this has long been the case with the medium of drawing, which became popular only when modern audiences began to care as much about process as they did about finished products. Sketches on yellowed paper dominate the show, but “Cones Cojones” (1973-75) takes things a step further, with two collages and concentric circles of tape on the floor, surrogates for imaginary cones that originate at the earth’s core and project into infinite space. Throughout the show, one sees the careful thinking—verging on poetry—that precedes all of Nauman’s installations, regardless of scale or materials.