Nick Cave to Open Monumental "Amalgams and Graphts" at Jack Shainman Gallery Tribeca
NickCave, Detail View, “Amalgam (Origin),” 2024.
Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery.
Nick Cave (MFA Fiber 1989) will open a new solo exhibition of monumental scale works in January 2025 at Jack Shainman Gallery’s new space in Tribeca, New York. Amalgams and Graphts will be on view from January 10, 2025, through March 15, 2025. An opening reception will take place on January 10 from 6 to 8pm.
Amalgams and Graphts features all new works by Cave, that mark a new evolution of his Soundsuits. Centering on three large bronze sculptures, “Amalgams,” that offer a positive, inclusive, and resilient alternative to monuments/public art that often misrepresent history, silence diverse voices and commemorate war and conquest. The three Amalgams are cast from Cave’s body and are adorned in natural forms including flowers, birds, and trees.
Cave’s Soundsuit series originated as a response to the brutal beating of Rodney King by police in 1991. The full-body suits conceal the wearer’s race, gender, and class so viewers must engage with them without preconceived judgment or bias. One of these early Soundsuits is held within Cranbrook Art Museum’s permanent collection, open to the public for guided tours.
Nick Cave at Jack Shainman Gallery, 46 Lafayette
Street, New York, NY. Photo by John C Edmonds.
Debuting alongside the Amalgams, is Cave’s latest series, Graphts. These mixed media assemblages place needlepoint self-portraits in fields of florals and colors created from vintage serving trays. While Cave has often used his own body within his work, as a performer or cast, the Graphts are the first time he reveals a recognizable self.
After his exhibition at Jack Shainman Gallery concludes, the first edition of Amalgam (Origin) will join the prestigious permanent collection of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Later in 2025, Cave will debut a new body of work including a performance at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C., accompanied by a monograph.
Amalgams and Graphts is the inaugural exhibition in Jack Shainman Gallery’s flagship Tribeca location, a major restoration project at the Clock Tower Building that includes exhibition spaces, a library, and offices spanning three floors.
Jack Shainman Gallery, 46 Lafayette Street, New York, NY. Photo by Dan Bradica Studio.
