Your School. Your Paper. Since 1936.

The Suffolk Journal

Your School. Your Paper. Since 1936.

The Suffolk Journal

Your School. Your Paper. Since 1936.

The Suffolk Journal

ICA hosts Nick Cave’s unusual artwork

The new Nick Cave exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) is the coolest Lost and Found you will ever peek your head into.

Giving a contemporary edge and new purpose to antiques and flea market finds, Cave creates wild masterpieces that might make you wonder how invigorating it would be to spend a couple of days in his imagination.

(Photos by Bianca Saunders)

Included in the exhibition are his famous “Soundsuits” displayed by mannequins on a runway installation. Made with a feast of materials like crochet, beads, buttons, purses and more, these other-worldly costumes conceal the body from head to toe and assume a personality of their own.

One “Soundsuit” features an intricate, floral crochet design with a vibrant red background. At the costume’s head, bursts a wreath of flowers.

But no doubt about it, the message of these Soundsuits is heard loud and clear.  Though the works now seem to evoke a playful and free spirit, Cave initially began making them in 1991 as a response to video footage of the Los Angeles police officers beating Rodney King.

By obstructing identities such as race and creating sounds when worn, the suits give a powerful voice.

A pleasant surprise within the exhibition is the inclusion of newer concepts by the artist in a second gallery.  Though they possess the signature style present in Cave’s “Soundsuits,” these works find their own voice within the exhibition.

In a series of sculptures, Cave sets large dog figurines onto ornate, vintage seats.  Engulfing them are webs of knickknacks like beads, metal flowers, ceramic birds and other found objects.

Affectionately referred to as “Rescues,” the series creates a relationship between pets from animal shelters and art created from repurposed objects.

Like the high-fashion “Soundsuits,” Cave has taken that which has been discarded and given it a newfound sense of grandeur.

The result is a little bit of all kinds of wonderful feelings – nostalgia, silliness, hope, courage and awe.

And we can all rejoice that these lost items have found an owner in the burst of imagination that is Nick Cave.

Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

All The Suffolk Journal Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Activate Search
ICA hosts Nick Cave’s unusual artwork