Good Boy, Bad Boy 1985

Bruce Nauman made this neon sign, “Good Boy, Bad Boy,” using glass tubing filled with gas, around 1985. I love how this piece takes language—a string of blunt, declarative statements—and turns it into a physical presence through light and color. The sentences, which range from the banal to the provocative, feel like thoughts being blurted out, flickering between good and bad, love and hate. What strikes me is how Nauman uses neon not just as a medium, but as a way to expose the raw edges of communication. The glowing colors—reds, greens, yellows—are intense and immediate. The light bleeds a little, blurring the edges of the words, like thoughts half-formed or feelings hard to articulate. Look at how the words "I'm bored" melt into the next line. It reminds me of how easily feelings can morph and shift. Nauman’s work often explores these kinds of tensions, pushing us to confront the uncomfortable or the absurd. Think of artists like Jenny Holzer, who also plays with language in public space, but Nauman, for me, is rawer, more visceral. He reminds us that art doesn’t have to be pretty or polished—it can be messy, contradictory, and unresolved.