Beginning today, October 9, 2010 through January 9, 2010 the Norton Museum of Art is presenting the extraordinary exhibition Nick Cave: Meet Me at the Center of the Earth, the only venue in the Southeastern U.S. for this extensive, nationally circulating exhibition of the Chicago-based artist’s work. Yesterday evening Norton Museum members were treated to a preview of the exhibition as well as a Soundsuits performance by Palm Beach Atlantic University Dance Ensemble and an introduction to the artist himself.
The Soundsuits on display are ten feet tall, bigger than life, human and animal like mixtures of sculpture and costumes, all colorful and fantastic. From scavenged materials as varied as buttons, yarn, beads, bottle caps, crocheted hats, sequins, ceramic birds and human hair, Nick Cave has created wearable sculptures that when worn have audible sounds, thus he named them “Soundsuits.” Over thirty examples of these wonderful mixed media sculptures comprise the exhibition along with videos and photographs of them in action.
Reminiscent of African, Mardi Gras and religious ceremonial costumes, Cave’s sculptures invite viewers to join the artist in his exploration of ceremony, ritual, myth and identity. A video montage of the suits being worn in performance give observers a sense of the cacophony of sounds and sensations that are integral to the work.
“I see this work – especially at this particular time – as a catalyst for change, and I hope that the people who see it will be fueled by their experience with it. I want people of every age, race and interest to be transported for a few minutes with me, to another place at the center of the earth. And I hope we will dream together,” said Nick Cave. “To me, everything outside myself is community. I don’t see myself as an artist but as a humanitarian using art to create change. My hope is that these new Soundsuits will cause people to find ways to live with each other, extend our compassion to other communities, and take care of our natural resources.”
Cave earned a BFA at Kansas City Art Institute in 1982 and a MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1989. He has taught in the Fiber Arts Program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago since 1989, and he has designed, manufactured and marketed his own line of men’s and women’s clothing. A recipient of such prestigious awards as the United States Artist Fellow Award (2006) and the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award (2001), and a National Endowment for the Arts grant (1991), his work has appeared in solo and group exhibitions across the United States and Europe.
Traveling exhibitions such as this one have helped to make the Norton Museum of Art internationally recognized. The museum is open Tuesday – Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. General admission is $12 for adults, $5 for visitors ages 13 - 21, and free members and children under 13. In conjunction with the opening of this spectacular exhibition, the Norton is pleased to announce that FREE Saturdays will now include admission to special exhibitions for the residents of West Palm Beach and FIRST Saturday of each month for Palm Beach County residents with proof of residency. Nick Cave will return on January 9th, and you can see the dance ensemble at Art After Dark on October 14 and November 11, 2010. For now, enjoy the slideshow.
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***© 2010 all rights reserved Maxine Schreiber. The above articles may not be rewritten, copied, published, broadcast, or redistributed, wholly or in any part, without the express written permission of Maxine Schreiber.
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