Nick Cave at the Cranbrook Museum: Inspirational, Inclusive, and Introspective

SAIC faculty member and lauded artist, Nick Cave (Fashion), brings gender, race, and class into question with his colorful Soundsuits and public performances. An article in the Washington Post situates Cave’s current exhibition at the Cranbrook Museum within Detroit’s process of recovery from economic turmoil, pointing out the recent philanthropic funding for the arts in the city.

The performances that will accompany the exhibition, Here Hear, are based on community participation, involving dance companies, cultural centers, businesses, and schools. Cave considers himself “an artist with a civic responsibility,” a notion he developed upon seeing the Rodney King video and that has become more crucial since the recent deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of police.

Laura Mott, Curator of Contemporary Art and Design at the Cranbrook Museum, indicates the value of Cave’s work lies in its power to reach everyone regardless of their background. Cave is also preparing for an exhibition at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art that will take place in 2016.

Image: James Prinz Photography/Courtesy Nick Cave and Jack Shainman Gallery