Speak Louder, Nick Cave, 2011

Nick Cave is best known for his imaginative and theatrical Soundsuits, wearable sculptures composed of fibers as varied as raffia, hair, yarn, and twigs, and items such as buttons, sequins, and an array of found objects that Cave finds in flea markets and thrift stores. Soundsuits are named for the audible rustling and rattling that these wildly mixed materials create when the sculptures are worn and performed. Once referred to by the artist as “body armor,” Soundsuits transcend preconceptions with their ambiguous identities. While accumulated matter of discarded toys and kitsch suggests a critique on consumerism, the kaleidoscopic and tactile qualities of Cave’s meticulously crafted works convey a dazzling vibrancy that both implicates and invites. A Missouri native, Mr. Cave is now showing at the Saint Louis Art Museum. I first saw his work last year at the Seattle Art Museum.