Audio recording

Standing larger than life at over eight-feet tall in the middle of the next gallery, Soundsuit 8:46 features bright floral applique, patterned textiles, sequins, and acrylic buttons. At first glance, Nick Cave’s Soundsuits are colorful, even jubilant, spectacles. Made from all manner of everyday materials—buttons, feathers, sequins, woven synthetic hair in kaleidoscopic hues, ceramic birds, glitter, and bundles of twigs—these wearable sculptures resemble West African and diasporic ritual costumes, such as Egungun of the Yoruba (a masked visible manifestation of departed ancestors) and the New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian. Despite their awe-inspiring appearance, these sculptures were initially born as a response to complex social and political realities.

Cave created his first Soundsuit in 1992 in direct response to Rodney King’s violent treatment at the hands of the Los Angeles police. As he states in a 2018 Smithsonian video interview, he began exploring, as a Black man, what is means to feel dismissed, discarded, viewed [as] less than; and while mulling it over in a park one day, he saw a twig appearing similarly dismissed and discarded, and started to collect them. Hundreds of small twigs took form into a sculptural garment that rustled when worn, giving name to the series of work. Since then, Cave has made over 500 unique Soundsuits.

In Soundsuit 8:46, the additional marker of “8:46”, refers to the amount of time (now understood to be longer) that convicted Minnesota Officer Derek Chauvin took to kill George Floyd on May 25, 2020. Created as a protective gesture, Cave’s suits conceal and camouflage the wearer, forcing the viewer to look without judgement, which is often not the case for the life being honored. They, in turn, serve as an alluring visual embodiment of social justice that represents both brutality and empowerment. By creating objects that cross between sculpture, fashion, and performance, Cave subverts traditional understandings and definitions of fine art. Advocating for a more just world, Cave’s Soundsuits remind us that, while there may be despair, there remains space for hope and renewal. He encourages a profound and compassionate analysis of violence and its effects, so that we may reposition ourselves to recognize the issues, come together on a global scale, instigate change, and ultimately, heal.