Jack Shainman Gallery’s Nick Cave inaugural exhibition in New York

Jack Shainman Gallery’s Nick Cave inaugural exhibition in New York © Laura Lati

Here I am writing again from my Tribeca hood where new galleries continue to open in opulent venues. Following the major opening of Marian Goodman Gallery last fall, in the historic Grosvenor building at 385 Broadway, a former warehouse building, Jack Shainman just opened the doors of its new flagship mid-January, at 46 Lafayette, in a historic bank Hall (they even kept the bank’s original security vault).

Thursday and Friday night gallery openings last week in the area were packed, despite this year’s January freezing temperatures. Shainman is kicking off with a blockbuster exhibition Amalgams and Graphts by the legendary Chicago-based artist, Nick Cave, on view until March 15.

Nick Cave, Grapht, 2024. Vintage metal serving trays, tole and needlepoint on wood panel © Laura Lati

From his Soundsuits which he started in 1992 with discarded materials at the crossover between fashion and art, the three large bronze sculptures at the center of the exhibition similarly merge fashion and art to create the most whimsical artworks. Garments made of flowers and other elements of the forest, blur the line between life and death. Plants, birds, pinecones, branches and different migratory species cover representations of the artist’s own body. Hands and feet of the central Amalgam (Origin) sculpture were cast from his own body, and branches and limbs stick out from it, reaching far and high, as if calling for help.
The artist’s works are meant to conceal him from the devastation and advocate for gender and race equality. The artist is especially vocal politically about the black community.

Nick Cave, Amalgam (Plot), 2024. Bronze, tole, flowers and cast iron door stops.  © Laura Lati

My personal favorite is Amalgam (Plot), a bronze sculpture of two bodies laid on the floor with metallic flowers, fruit and birds emerging surrounding the figures. The artwork hints at prior violence and brings to mind the 1991 Rodney King brutal beating by the police that has profoundly affected Cave and his oeuvre. The funeral effect of the bodies with the bouquets all around is immediately eye-catching. Multiple levels of meaning translate in multiple levels on the sculptures, conveying a striking theatrical feel.

Nick Cave, Grapht, 2024. Vintage metal serving trays and needlepoint on wood panel © Laura Lati

The Graphts or wall complex collages, made of vintage metal serving trays, vintage tole and needlepoint, alternate various layers of self-portraits, floral wallpapers and still life arrangements. Detailed needlepoint work of artifacts expresses the struggle of the black community’s long past of oppression and its impact on society today.

Nature and dreams are recurring themes in Cave’s unexpected and conceptual works. His inspiration is often in antiques stores or fairs and in his road trips and memories around Chicago. In these two series, he brings awareness about servitude the Black community has endured. In fact, the 65-year-old artist refers to himself as a messenger in the first place, then as an artist and educator.

Nick Cave, Amalgam (Plot) (detail), 2024. Bronze, tole, flowers and cast iron door stops.  © Laura Lati