Nick Cave
Feat.
Frist Art Museum, Nashville, Tennessee [link]
November 10, 2017-June 24, 2018
Cave’s soundsuits are optical feats of wonder —ornately Dadaesque creations advantageous to obscure identity, yet inept for practical use- a sharp contrast to the drab, functional SWAT suits used for law enforcement. The sculptures are also feats of labor: intricate handwork of woven, knitted, sequined and sewn patterns and cultural objects. Most remarkable are the conceptual feats interwoven between each bead and thread, representing racial and gun violence, specifically the targeting of young black men in the U.S. Rather than polemics, Cave adopts the strategical tactics of beauty, absurdity and spectacle, as a conduit for contemplation and dialogue.
~ Colette Copeland
all images courtesy of the author
