Fifteen Pairs of Hands is a sculptural installation by artist Bruce Nauman featuring 15 white bronze sculptures of dismembered hands frozen in various positions. Each piece is presented atop its own steel base coated in white paint as a set of disembodied hands interacting with one another. Nauman’s fascination with hands and the various forms they can take on is evident through the installation as each pair performs unique gestures.
In some instances, the team of hands seem to mirror each other while, at other times, the figures in each pair are creating their own shapes to complement each other. They’re either working in unison to produce distinct configurations or surreally extending from their wrists in opposite directions. The result is a collection of figurative sculptures that seem almost abstract.
There is also an unspoken association between Nauman’s bronze hands and the practice of communicating with hands. Even without audible language, Nauman displays the different gestures one could communicate simply with their hands.
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Photo via Art Observer
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