Nick Cave
Soundsuit

Soundsuit

© Nick Cave. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.

Soundsuit
Soundsuit
ArtistAmerican, born 1959
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Soundsuit
Date2011
Made inUnited States
MediumFound rugs and mixed media
Dimensions102 × 40 × 23 in. (259.1 × 101.6 × 58.4 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by Barbara and Michael Gamson in memory of Peter C. Marzio
Object number2011.870
Not on view

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Object Type
Description

Nick
Cave studied both fine arts and dance before he graduated with an M.F.A. from
Cranbrook Academy in 1989. He created his first Soundsuit out of twigs in 1992
in the wake of the Rodney King riots; at a moment when Americans across the
country were debating issues of race and identity, Cave discovered that the
masquerade offered by a suit that covered his body and face offered a new
freedom. "When I was inside a suit," Cave later stated, "you
couldn't tell if I was a woman or man; if I was black, red, green or orange;
from Haiti or South Africa. I was no longer Nick. I was a shaman of
sorts."



In subsequent Soundsuits, Cave explored a wide variety of materials. Here the Soundsuit is pieced together from
braided rugs, gathered from thrift stores in Chicago’s South Loop, and the
mannequin’s legs are clad in crocheted stockings. The circular patterns of the
rugs give the appearance of eyes, mouths, and other orifices. At the same time,
the found materials harken back to quilting and needlework traditions rooted in
Africa and Europe, traditions which still flourish across America today.

ProvenanceThe artist; [Jack Shainman Gallery, New York]; purchased by MFAH, 2011.

Exhibition History"Ever-After," Mary Boone Gallery in collaboration with Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, September 8–October 8, 2011.

"The Abstract Impulse: Selections from the Modern and Contemporary Collections," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 3–May 5, 2013.

"Statements: African American Art from the Museum's Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, January 24–September 25, 2016.

"Mending: Craft and Community, Selection from the Museum’s Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, December 8, 2018–October 20, 2019.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
No inscriptions visible
No signature visible

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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