I love it when artists such as Nick Cave are showing near the Cleveland Area. Gives me an opportunity to activate my arts gaze and feel the inspiration up close and personal. Over the past few years I have learned to not let a few miles stand in the way of seeing the nations top artist that I admire and enjoy. Of course, Cleveland museum scene does not disappoint either. Most recently I drove down to Akron Ohio’s Museum of Art to see the Nick Cave Feat. exhibition. I, of course, waited until the final hours, but managed to find a “Last Chance” tour that the museum was hosting, seemingly specifically for people like me!
If you are not familiar with the work of Nick Cave check out this video that was included in the exhibition. Also in the exhibition was one of his most popular pieces, Soundsuits, a mashup of sculpture, fashion and performance challenging the eye to enter a surreal world. Cave’s artistic explorations have social justice undertones, particularly building upon his reaction to the Rodney King beating in 1992. He allows one found object be the instigation to larger journeys/pieces that, for me, evoke a trail of memories and emotions of life. There is a nostalgic feeling of memory in his work that identifies a sense of honor in a fantastical type of way. A similar thread that I sometimes find in various artist’s work, is the notion of using art to help figure out feelings of unsettledness. The feelings of anger, grief, happiness and joy are often subliminally captured in art work and brings forth reactions from onlookers. The Akron Museum did a good job of presenting various pieces from the Cave collection to show how diverse his body of work is.
The tour was led by one of the museum curators who walked the tour group of about 20 through each of the pieces, shedding a little background and inspiration about the work and the story of its existence. One of my favorites was an Untitled, 2014 mixed media piece of cast bronze and cloth hand towels. The plate card read, “Casting his own arm in bronze, Cave assembles an object that speaks to the position of servitude that many African Americans have been forced to endure throughout history. The stack of neatly pressed white towels, similar to those found in a fancy restroom, forms a pattern that echoes the rings of a tree. The stack suggests the crushing number of years that black people, including the artist’s grandmother, have devoted to being in service to whites.” This piece was Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. Loved it.
While in the area I supported small and bought some comic books from Rubbercity Comics and a huge slice of tiramisu from Sweet Mary’s Bakery for the drive home.
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