Bruce Nauman

The true artist helps the world by revealing mystic truths

29 March 2025 – 28 March 2027

The true artist helps the world by revealing mystic truths (1967) is a conceptual artwork that invites conversation on contemporary art and the role of the artist. It is one of the first neon sign installations by pioneering American artist Bruce Nauman, who has worked for over six decades across painting, sculpture, video, performance, and print.

This work is made of neon, a commercially produced material usually associated with advertising, to produce a text statement the meaning of which is deliberately unclear. The artist describes the statement as:

“a kind of test—like when you say something out loud to see if you believe it. Once written down, I could see that the statement, ‘The true artist helps the world by revealing mystic truths’ was on the one hand a totally silly idea and yet, on the other hand, I believed it. It’s true and it’s not true at the same time. It depends on how you interpret it and how seriously you take yourself.”

Installed at the heart of the gallery, Nauman's glowing spiral neon guides our curatorial vision for the next two years. We will:

• support artists and their revealing of ‘mystic truths’
• encourage our audiences to find their own meaning in contemporary art
• question what the role of art in today’s world is
• take risks, play and experiment – and remember to keep a sense of humour!

This work of art is on long term loan from the National Gallery of Australia with support from the Australian Government as part of Sharing the National Collection. #artacrossaustralia

Bruce Nauman, The true artist helps the world by revealing mystic truths (Window or wall sign), 1967, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 1978, © Bruce Nauman. ARS/Copyright Agency, 2025