October 20 – December 3, 2017
NICK CAVE
Christian A. Johnson
Visiting Artist in Residence
Nick Cave’s work engages our real, lived world; he created his first “sound suit” of sticks as a response to the Rodney King beating, exploring its potential to both mask and empower. His work, exuberant and mysterious, presses on territories of identity – race, sexual orientation, class – while reminding us of our histories, interwoven in ways we need to continue to examine.
The ability to make work that engages on a civic level has informed his recent residencies and exhibitions in places like Detroit MI and Shreveport LA. His most ambitious undertaking to date, UNTIL, addresses gun violence in America pointedly; as a black man living in Chicago, he has first hand knowledge. Overwhelming on many levels, it brings viewers through the “belly of the beast.” Currently at Mass MoCa, it will travel to Sydney, Australia and Crystal Bridges, AK.
RATTLE has multiple components: an exhibition of video works in the Clifford Gallery, a Kick Off Performance of music and movement with 22 Colgate performers in sound suits and three Performance Workshops that Nick Cave has designed specifically for Colgate – to provide our community with a series of immersive movement exercises to find and strengthen our relationships and empower individuals.
