Nick Cave Opens Smithsonian Exhibition
Artist Nick Cave's exhibition "Mammoth" opened at the Smithsonian American Art Museum on February 13, exploring themes of erasure and memory in history. The show features Cave's "ancient mammoths" installation designed to provoke dialogue about whose stories are preserved and whose are at risk of being forgotten. Local photographer David Lawrence shared photos from his visit, calling the timing serendipitous.
- This exhibition is the Smithsonian American Art Museum's largest-ever commission by a single artist. - "Mammoth" is a deeply personal project for Cave, drawing on his childhood in Missouri and incorporating family heirlooms like his grandmother's thimble collection and his late brother's wooden cane. - A central piece is a 700-square-foot glowing light table displaying thousands of found objects, from vintage tools to juggling balls, arranged like paleontological specimens. - The exhibition includes a four-wall video projection called “Roam,” which shows the mammoth sculptures moving through present-day Chicago. - Later in the year, a special performance will activate the installation, with performers operating 13 mammoths of varying sizes in a procession through the museum. - Cave is widely known for his "Soundsuits," wearable sculptures often made from found objects, which he first created in response to the 1991 police beating of Rodney King. - The free exhibition will be on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum through January 3, 2027.
