MASTERFUL FIBER ARTIST NICK CAVE'S SPELLBINDING SOLO EXHIBIT AT JACK SHAINMAN GALLERY, CHELSEA, NYC, 1.8.09-2.7.09

LIKE THE EXHIBIT NEO HOODOO AT P.S. 1, I WAITED UNTIL THE LAST FEW DAYS TO VISIT JACK SHAINMANS GALLERY IN CHELSEA, TO SEE NICK CAVE'S MASTERFUL WORK, THIS IS MY VERY FIRST TIME SEEING THE SOUNDSUITS IN PERSON, AND I MUST SAY THIS BODY OF ART WORK IS SOMETHING TO SEE.

NICK CAVE'S WAS IN TOWN FRIDAY TO SHOTOI A VIDEO OF HIMSELF DANCING IN THE SOUNDSUITS AT THE JACK SHAINMAN GALLERY ON SUNDAY, HE TOLD ME THIS VIDEO WAS FOR HIS NEXT MAJOR TRAVELING EXHIBIT THAT WILL OPEN AT YERBA BUENA ART CENTER, IN SAN FRANCISCO CA.IN MARCH.

WHEN I FIRST WALKED INTO THE GALLERY, I WAS MET BY A NEW (TO ME AT LEAST) SCULPTURAL WORKS OF NICK'S. A VERY CLEVER STUDY OF FOUND OBJECTS AND RECONSTUCTION OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN ICON OF THE PAST CENTURY... VERY GOOD USE OF MATERIAL... VERY WELL THOUGHT OUT VISUALLY... AND AS USUAL.... MASTERFUL CRAFTSMANSHIP.

THEN... WHEN I WALKED INTO THE OPEN GALLERY SPACE... I NOT ONLY TOOK OFF MY HAT!!... I HAD TO THROW IT ACROSS THE ROOM.... I HAVE FINALLY "SEENT" THE FUTURE... NICK CAVES HAS CLOSED THE AESTHETIC TIME GAP OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN AESTHETIC IN MYSTICISM, THE DECORATIVE ARTS AND THEATER AS RITUAL.... VERY INSPIRING WORK.

THESE FAKE FUR PIECE HAD REAL PRESENCE AND A LIFE OF THEIR OWN.... THIS IS THE KIND OF COSTUMES THAT I WANTED TO CREATE WHEN I WAS WORKING IN MY NIEGHBORHOOD THEATER "BLACK ARTS WEST" IN SEATTLE WASHINGTON.

THE ONLY PROBLEM WAS, THE SCRIPTS HAD NOT BEEN WRITTEN.... I AM VERY EXCITED TO SEE WHERE NICK TAKES THIS WORK.

NICK TOLD ME FRIDAY WHEN I SAW HIM AT THE GALLERY, THAT HE WAS PLANNING TO CREATE 90 SOUNDSUIT AND THEN TAKE THEM INTO THE COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY FOR LOCAL DANCERS TO PERFORM IN THE SUIT... ALL I CAN SAY IS.... MY!.. MY!!.. MY!!

NICK IS A MAJOR COLLECTOR OF OBJECTS AND TEXTILES FROM THE THIFT STORES.... FROM THIS PASSION FROM COLLECTING ITEMS THAT CATCHES HIS FANCY, COMES A HIGHLY DEVELOPED SELF TAUGHT SKILL OF ASEMBLAGE AND COMPOSITION.

HE CAN ALTER THE MOST COMMON DOMESTIC DECORATIVE OBJECT INTO A PERFORMING SHRINE...

SPENDING TIME IN A GALLERY WITH THIS BODY OF WORK, WILL SET THE IMAGINATION OFF INTO ANOTHER ORBIT....


HERE YOU CAN SEE THE SKILL THIS MAN HAS WITH VERY COMPLEX COMPOSITIONS WITH DECONSTRUCTING AND PATCHWORKING TEXTILES TOGETHER.... HE HAS CREATED HIS OWN VISUAL LANGUAGE THAT WORKS FOR HIM.

THIS TOWERING WORK OF ART, IS MADE FROM CROCHET HATS ASSEMBLED TOGETHER.... CAN YOU BELIVE THIS?...

DETAIL VIEW OF TOP.

DETAIL VIEW OF MIDDLE.

DETAIL VIEW OF THE MOST "FANCY-EST FEET I EVER DID SEE".

DETAIL VIEW OF PATCHWORKED SEQUINCED DRESSES THAT WAS DECONSTRUCTED, THEN RECONSTRUCTED TO CREAT THIS STRONG DECORATIVE TEXTILE SURFACE, AND THEN THE ARTIST FINE HAND STITCHED QUILTED THE ENTIRE SURFACE.

DETAILED VIEW OF FOUND SEQUINCE GARMENT, THE ARTIST ADORNED WITH WHITE BUTTONS.... THERE HAD TO BE MILLIONS OF BUTTONS AND BEADS IN THIS WORK.

DETAILED VIEW OF EMBROIDERD FOUND OBJECT FINELY HAND QUILTED, WITH PATCH WORK BUGLE BEADS APLIQUE. ON TOP.

THIS IS A REAL GOOD CLOSE-UP SO THAT YOU CAN SEE A FEW OF THE MILLIONS OF TINY HAND STITCHES THAT GOES INTO THIS BODY OF WORK.

THE COLLECTION OF FOUND OBJECTS (COLORFUL MID 20Th CENTURY TIN TOYS) ALONE ON THIS PIECE IS ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU STOP IN YOUR TRACKS.

THE BODY OF THIS PIECE IS TOTALLY COVER WITH CROCHET PATCHES...


YOU CAN SEE MORE OF THE ARTIST SURFACE HAND QUILTING.


THIS MAN REALLY KNOWS HOW TO WORK WITH PATTERNS.

CHECK OUT HOW HE WORKS WITH ADORNING THE FEET... DO'NT THIS JUST (REALLY, TRULY) KNOCK YOUR SOCK OFF....




GO ON, NICK CAVE'S, WITH YOUR BAD SELF!!!






ALL I COULD SAY WHEN I LEFT THE JACK SHAINMAN GALLERY WAS.... CRAZY.... CRAZY.... CRAAAZY!!!.... NICK CAVES REALLY GOT A HOLD ON SOMETHING HERE... YOU CAN MARK MY WORD.

I AM SO PROUD TO HAVE STUDIED WITH HIM.... TRULY A YOUNG MASTER!!!