YBCA presents the largest scale presentation of work by Chicago-based artist, Nick Cave, featuring forty of his "Soundsuits"—multi-layered mixed-media, wearable sculptures named for the sounds made when the sculptures are worn. As reminiscent of African and religious ceremonial costumes as they are of haute couture, Cave's work explores issues of ceremony, ritual, myth and identity. He does this through a layering of concepts, highly-skilled techniques and varied traditions, using materials such as fabrics, beads, sequins, old bottle caps, rusted iron, sticks, twigs, leaves and hair. Mad, humorous, elaborate, grotesque, glamorous and unexpected, the Soundsuits are created from scavenged ordinary materials—detritus from both nature and culture—that Cave re-contextualizes into visionary masterpieces.
Watch Nick Cave discuss his Soundsuits creation
and performances:
This exhibition is sponsored in part by:
The Bloomingdale's Fund of the Macy's Foundation
Media Sponsor: 
RELATED
EVENTS
Sat, Mar 28: Artists
InSight: Nick Cave in Conversation
»
Ronald
K. Brown / Nick Cave Soundsuits
Collaboration
»
Thu, May 28,
7 pm; Sat, May 30–Sun, May 31, 3 pm
FREE
with Gallery Admission; however space is limited
The
highlight of this thrilling exhibition will be three live performance
events in the YBCA gallery, a truly remarkable confluence of
performance and visual art, fusing the movement of celebrated
choreographer Ronald K. Brown and Cave's shimmering
Soundsuits.
Learn more about the traveling exhibition »
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Nick Cave
Nick Cave is an associate professor and chairman of the Fashion Department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where he teaches in the Fiber Arts Program. He has led numerous workshops on topics such as Extending the Body: Experiments in Clothing and has designed, manufactured, and marketed his own line of men’s and women’s clothing and ran a successful clothing company in Chicago. He has received numerous awards including the United States Artist Fellow Award (2006), Joyce Award (2006), Creative Capital Grant (2005, 2004, 2001), Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award (2001), and National Endowment for the Arts (1991). Cave has performed around the world—and, with this exhibition, is looking forward to watching others perform in his Soundsuits.
Read the New York Times feature on Nick Cave
Read the SF Chronicle Review
Read the SF Bay Guardian Q & A with Nick Cave
Listen to the YBCA podcast with Nick Cave
Nick Cave at Jack Shainman Gallery