Nick Cave Couches His Critique in Dazzle

A 70-foot table stretches almost the length of a gallery in "Mammoth," the installation that opens Feb. 13 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. It is scattered with more than 300 translucent trivets beaded in Lite‑Brite colors; 193 faux fruits and vegetables, bejeweled; 109 wooden canes, 40 badminton rackets, 21 glass fish and 18 leather slippers sheathed in sequins and buttons.

Nick Cave, who created the work, does not fit the image of a pack‑rat outsider. About to turn 67, he has been an insider in the art world — his wearable "Soundsuits" have been in group shows around the globe, and he has had surveys at major museums — and he has taught for decades at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Inspiration for the project arose from a "deep dive" into his history: "I come from a family of makers, musicians, poets, singers, craftsmen, woodworkers, quilters," he says, and memories of summers on his grandparents’ farm in Missouri and the crafts that delighted his grandmother informed the work.

United States

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