Sunday, December 17, 2006

WHAT: "A Rose Has No Teeth: Bruce Nauman in the 1960s" at the Berkeley Art Museum in Berkeley, Calif.

WHEN: Jan. 17 to April 15.

HOW MUCH: $8.

WHY GO: In the 1960s, neon tubing was a material reserved for commercial craftsmen bending it into bowling alley signs and gas station logos. Nauman was among the first artists to thrust neon into the world of contemporary art. This exhibit looks at the influence that Northern California in the 1960s -- a politically charged and culturally changing time -- had on his work. The exhibit includes works in neon, plus photography, video, body casts, holography and sound.

Nauman's art provokes you to think about what artists in general are trying to say through and with their work. What does a video of a clown repeatedly screaming "No!" tell you? What can you gain from a plaque that was meant to be nailed onto a tree and grown over with bark? Nauman experts say that he has had an interest in what it means to be an artist. Critics have called his work "absurd," "captivating" and "puzzling."

The exhibit includes never-before-seen works and others that haven't been on U.S. soil for decades.

DON'T MISS: Making its exhibit debut is Nauman's first work in neon, a piece that a former student purchased in the '60s and sold last month. (It's on loan from the new owner.) The 1965 untitled work is a gently swerving piece of orange neon encased in nearly translucent fiberglass. It snakes its way across the floor, casting a carroty glow.

"I was fascinated by this early work that looks like nothing anyone had seen at the time," Constance M. Lewallen, the museum's senior curator for exhibitions, said in an e-mail. "This work, done while he was still in graduate school, exemplifies Nauman's interest in testing new ideas and materials in unexpected ways."

A different student unearthed another 1965 untitled sculpture that the artist himself had forgotten about. This fiberglass piece is a tipsy pyramid with its top cut off.

The exhibition's title refers to the aforementioned 1966 tree plaque, which hasn't been in the United States since 1968. It's usually housed in a Swiss collection.

EXTRAS: Six Nauman experts, including Lewallen and one of the artist's inspirations, performance artist and dancer Meredith Monk, will discuss Nauman's influences at a free March 10 lecture at the museum. Before a visit, download the exhibit's free audio guide from the museum's Web site onto your iPod or computer. Available starting Jan. 17.

An innovator in his own right, improvisational musician Bobby McFerrin performs with his "vocal legion" Voicestra on Jan. 24 on the University of California's Berkeley campus; tickets start at $32. Info: 510-642-9988.

Nauman was inspired by performance art, something Berkeley is still known for. Catch a performance of the black comedy "The Pillowman" at the Berkeley Rep Theatre from Jan. 12 through Feb. 25. It's about a gruesome local murder that starts mirroring the creepy stories a man tells his mentally ill brother to entertain him. Tickets from $45 (or from $22.50 if you're younger than 30). Info: 510-647-2949, http://www.berkeleyrep.org/.

EATS: No slaving over a hot stove at the museum's Cafe Muse: All dishes are organic, locally grown and served raw. Entrees include raw veggie lasagna with portobello mushrooms and cashew ricotta. Sandwiches are available for the less daring. $6-$7.50.

Close to campus is another organic option, the Mediterranean-oriented Adagia Restaurant (2700 Bancroft Way, 510-647-2300). Lunch from $8.75, dinner from $14.75.

Non-students are welcome at the university's Moorish-style International House (2299 Piedmont Ave., 510-642-9477), which serves an array of dishes from all over the globe. If you happen to have dinner there on the date of a foreign holiday or cultural celebration, such as Mardi Gras or St. Patrick's Day, the menu will feature themed dishes. It's all you can eat, too, for under $9.

SLEEPS: The Victorian-style Beau Sky Hotel (2520 Durant Ave., 800-990-2328, http://www.beausky.com/) used to be a halfway house and girls school (separately, of course) and is now a boutique-like inn with 20 rooms featuring Mexican-tiled bathrooms. It's a block from campus. From $119, including continental breakfast.

Ask for a room with a view of the San Francisco Bay at the historic Bancroft Hotel (2680 Bancroft Way, 800-549-1002, http://www.bancrofthotel.com/), a 22-room inn in a 1928 Arts and Crafts style. From $139, including continental breakfast.

INFO: The Berkeley Museum of Art is at 2621 Durant Ave. Details: 510-642-0808, http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/.

-- Elissa Leibowitz Poma