Nick Cave

While in Venice for La Biennale we had the amazing opportunity to a stop by the historic Palazzo Pisani Moretta to visit @fondazionedriesvannotten and tour the inaugural show “The Only True Protest Is Beauty.” Thank you Dries for welcoming us in! Your vision and the space you’ve created is truly incredible and inspiring!

AMALGAM -ORIGIN AND MEDITATION, respectively. In addition to yesterday’s post about the 5 works in the Arsenale, two monumental bronzes are installed outdoors at @labiennale . Amalgam(Origin) 2024, stands tall on the canal’s edge, hoping to capture the viewer’s imagination, and allow them to be transported to a place of awe and endless possibility. Amalgam(Meditation), which is making its debut appearance, is situated in a neighboring garden and offers a gentle reminder to find moments for quiet self-reflection in a time when bluster is rewarded.

Soundsuits make an appearance on the cover of @art.kunstmagazin for @labiennale translated ART in May: Venice Biennial - Everything about the great summer festival of art +++ A worldview full of poetry: Koyo Kouoh’s legacy +++ Great service piece: the best pavilions, tips, city plan to race out ++ + A look at Berlin: Tadashi Kawamata to Gallery Weekend +++ 32 pages Extra: Current auctions Cover: © Nick Cave, courtesy Jack Shainman Gallery, Nathan Keay/MCA Chicago. @nickcaveart @jackshainman #art #biennale Repost from @art.kunstmagazin • ART im Mai: Biennale Venedig – Alles zum großen Sommerfestival der Kunst +++ Eine Weltschau voller Poesie: Koyo Kouohs Vermächtnis +++ Großer Serviceteil: Die besten Pavillons, Tipps, Stadtplan zum Heraustrennen +++ Blick nach Berlin: Tadashi Kawamata zum Gallery Weekend +++ 32 Seiten Extra: Aktuelle Auktionen Cover: © Nick Cave, courtesy Jack Shainman Gallery, Nathan Keay/MCA Chicago. @nickcaveart @jackshainman #art #biennale

Two Points in Time at Once: Nick Cave at the 61st Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia (Arsenale) Seven new and recent works unfold across the Arsenale and waterside of Venice. Five works are within the Arsenale, while another two monumental bronzes are placed outside. The works address the stages of grief toward mourning, rebirth, and radical connection. Rooted in Soundsuit lineage, these figures fuse body and nature with gramophone hoods, blooming florals, birds to amplify voice as resistance and offering moments of reflection, celebration, and grounding. Conceived with curator Koyo Kouoh before her passing, the presentation honors creativity that builds beauty and community amid chaos. @jackshainman @faust_____specialprojects #NickCave #VeniceBiennale #InMinorKeys #TwoPointsInTimeAtOnce #KoyoKouoh

What do we carry with us, and what carries us? In “Mammoth” at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, artist Nick Cave invites us into a world built from memory, imagination, and the materials of everyday life. On top of a massive glowing light table, he has placed thousands of objects: from vintage juggling balls to pie plates to a set of his grandmother’s thimbles. Some of these objects remain recognizable; others have been transformed into creatures and contraptions that seem to hum with spirit and intention. “Mammoth” asks us to consider the stories embedded in to reflect on how we live with the things we inherit, what is lost and what is passed down to future generations. Cave’s art forms a kind of monument: not only to the past but to the everyday acts of making, preserving, and imagining that carry us forward. “Nick Cave: Mammoth” is currently on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum [@americanart ] in Washington, DC. Images: Installation photography of “Nick Cave: Mammoth,” Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2026, ©Nick Cave; Photo by RON BLUNT STUDIO

“In the Studio,” the Montclair Art Museum’s artist profile series, takes viewers into the creative spaces of exhibiting artists. In this episode, travel with us to Chicago to visit Nick Cave [@nickcaveart ] at his studio, Facility, in Old Irving Park. Cave’s work has been featured in major institutions across the globe, including most recently the show, “Nick Cave: Mammoth,” at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Montclair Art Museum’s “See it Now: Contemporary Art from the Ann and Mel Schaffer Collection.” Cave’s artistic practice blends art, fashion, and social commentary, addressing urgent themes such as racism, gun violence, and climate change. MAM is excited to share this intimate window into Cave’s creative process with our audience. Watch the full profile on the Museum’s YouTube (link in bio).

Last week an advance copy of “Nick Cave: Mammoth” arrived in studio. Here’s a sneak peek at what’s in store. A 240-page catalog of the current exhibition at the Smithsonian (@americanart ) designed by @faust_____specialprojects and published by @gilesartbooks , now available for pre-order. While thumbing through the catalog, I was flooded with memories of a twenty-year-plus photographic collaboration with James Prinz. This beautiful publication prominently features his last set of images and the end of our chapter here on this earthly plane. Life isn’t the same without Jim around, but he’ll always be remembered in this work. Jim is forever “The Artist’s Photographer.” This book could not have been possible without him. Many more thanks to come.

On a recent visit to “Mammoth” at SAAM (@americanart ), I had the pleasure of meeting Frederick S. Ballanger I, a gallery attendant. He shared with me a poem he had written inspired by the exhibition. Moved by his words and honored by his vulnerability, I thought it important to share his poem with you all. Enjoy. “Nick Cave: Mammoth” is now on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum until January 3, 2027. Plan a visit! Open Daily, 11:30 a.m.–7:00 p.m *Free Admission Image credits (2&3): Installation photography of “Nick Cave: Mammoth,” Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2026; ©Nick Cave; Photos by Ron Blunt

MAMMOTH at @americanart February 13, 2026 - January 3, 2027 Open Daily, 11:30 a.m.–7:00 p.m FREE Admission 🦣🦣🦣🦣🦣🦣🦣🦣🦣🦣🦣🦣🦣🦣🦣🦣🦣🦣🦣 Repost from @jackshainman • Add a visit to Nick Cave: Mammoth at the Smithsonian American Art Museum to your spring plans! By bringing together the ordinary and often overlooked objects of everyday life, Cave illuminates what we value and how we make meaning together. Focused on the fundamental connections between people and their environment, Cave asks how we can begin to make sense of our relationship with a landscape that continues to evolve. How might we adapt, persevere, even thrive? As the contemporary world increasingly challenges what it means to be human, Cave envisions a space of both grief and possibility. Discover “Mammoth” at the link in bio. Installation photography of Nick Cave: Mammoth, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2026, ©Nick Cave; Photos by Ron Blunt #NickCave #JSG #JSGArtist SmithsonianMuseum

What did @nickcaveart think when he saw his piece coming to life in the Museum’s entrance court? Hear Cave discuss his concept and the creation of his monumental mosaic, “Let me kindly introduce myself. They call me MC Prince Brighton.” (2025), which welcomes visitors in to the new Museum! For more, view the full interview at the link in our Stories. Join us on March 17 as we welcome Nick Cave for this year’s Friends Annual Mary Pitcairn Keating Lecture: a wide-ranging conversation between renowned the artist and Museum Director James Steward. Free and open to the public; no registration required. 🔗 Learn more by tapping to our events calendar, linked in our bio! #NickCave #PrincetonUniversityArtMuseum

Oh!… and in other “Mammoth” at @americanart print news, grab a copy of @nytimes too! Check out “Critical, but Dazzling Too” in today’s Art’s & Leisure section. Story by @blake_gopnik , images by @xdonavon

“A ‘MAMMOTH’ MOMENT” is out in print today! Pick up a copy of SUNDAY | SUNTIMES (@chicagosuntimes ) to read a 4 page spread about Mammoth’s journey to @americanart , written by @elly__fish (for @wbezchicago ) with images by @avazquezphoto . ❤️📰🦣