Nick Cave

Exhibit Details

April 6 - July 28, 2019
Opening Reception: April 5, 5:30 - 7:00 PM
Eldredge, Spratlen, and Armstrong Galleries

Nick Cave is a multi-disciplinary artist working between the visual and performing arts through a wide range of mediums including sculpture, installation, video, sound, and performance. He is well known for the Soundsuits series, sculptural forms based on the scale of his body. 

The idea for the suits were formed as a response to race-based violence. After the Rodney King beating in Los Angeles in March 1991, and the riots and violence that followed, Cave felt depressed and concerned. He says “I remember thinking that my identity is really only protected in the privacy of my own home. That the moment I leave this space, I could be just another profile. Then I was thinking about myself as a black male, and that on top of art, on what I’m trying to be as an artist, what does that mean?” Soon after, he made his first “suit” with sown sticks gathered in Millennium Park in Chicago. Stitched together, the sticks became an armor for his body, allowing for anonymity and protection.  The suits are intended to camouflage the body, masking and creating a second skin that conceals race, gender, and class, forcing the viewer to look without judgement. Cave has continued to investigate the power of these sculptural garments since that initial work and continues to create new Soundsuits, even as he has moved on to other larger, more immersive installation projects.

This exhibition will feature a focused selection of Soundsuits, pulled from both private collections and the artist, courtesy of Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, as well as an example from the Tondo series, and the video work Drive-By.

Exhibit Resources

View the Exhibition Preview Video

Nick Cave at Jack Shainman Gallery

Related Programs

Family Day: Friday, April 13, 10 AM - 12 PM

Responsive Dance Performances: Thursday, May 2, 7:30 PM
Featuring the Springfield Ballet, Springfield Dance Alliance, and Missouri State University's Dance Company

Slow Viewing Night: Thursday, May 9, 6 PM

Guided Tour with ASL Interpreter
Saturday, July 27, 2 PM

Guided Tours:
Thursday, April 18, 6 PM
Saturday, May 4, 11 AM
Tuesday, June 25, 11 AM
Saturday, July 27, 11 AM & 5 PM

Join a scheduled guided tour or request your own guided group tour through July 28, 2019, free of charge, by contacting Museum Assistant Shauna Smith at (417) 837-5700 or slsmith@springfieldmo.gov. There is no minimum group number required to schedule a tour. Weekday and Weekend tours are available. Tours generally last one hour.