Nick Cave: Meet Me at the Center of the Earth

Critic Roberta Smith has written about Chicago-based artist Nick Cave, “Whether Nick Cave’s efforts qualify as fashion, body art or sculpture, and almost regardless of what you ultimately think of them, they fall squarely under the heading of Must Be Seen to Be Believed…” Meet Me at the Center of the Earth features sculptures that Cave calls Soundsuits, to evoke the sense of movement, rattles and rustles inherent in the design of the pieces–which are composed of manufactured and handmade fabrics, such as beads, sequins, bottle caps, old toys, twigs and hair, and seem poised to explode into ritual dance. Exploring issues of ceremony, ritual, identity and myth, they embrace various traditions, as well as cultural and historical references, from African fetish objects to Japanese Butoh dance.