ART REVIEW: Nick Cave – Call and Response @ Tramway

Walking into Nick Cave’s UNTIL exhibition feels like entering a magical dreamland, but it quickly becomes clear that this fairytale world has a darker side.

Once you’ve processed that the Nick Cave in question is not that of Bad Seeds fame, but a Chicago-based African American artist, you can begin taking in the overwhelming sights before you. Cave is known for his Soundsuits- intricate sculptures that can be worn, often with a political message- and in this case the whole room becomes a suit for visitors to immerse themselves in.

Most of the exhibition space is taken up by the ‘Kinetic Spinner Forest’- row upon row of kaleidoscopic hanging mobiles, spinning mesmerizingly as you walk amongst them. Look closer and you’ll notice that many of these creations have an image of a gun in the centre. The strict instructions not to stray from the path add an extra element of unease to this seemingly enchanting scene, as the sharp edges of the ornaments glint and spin.

These stark reminders of violence and contemporary racism contrasting with sensory extravagance continue throughout the exhibition. The highlight is certainly the ‘Crystal Cloudscape’- a platform high in the room where visitors can view an overwhelming array of found objects haphazardly stuck together. Collected by Cave at yard sales across America, interspersed amongst the gaudy ornaments are gnome-like racist caricatures known as ‘lawn jockeys’. Dream-catchers and tennis rackets in hand, these figurines are given a new lease of life in Cave’s heavenly canopy.

The sheer amount of ornamental objects piled on top of each other seems both an indictment of materialism and an ode to kitsch. Meanwhile, the inclusion of the ‘lawn jockeys’ further emphasises the shameful secrets and dark realities to be found literally in people’s own homes and backyards.

Violence, anger, and beauty all exist side by side in this exhibition, and belying common complaints made about contemporary art, it is both visually stunning, technically impressive, and politically meaningful. On display until 24th November, Cave’s first major European exhibition is a beautiful sensory overload that is truly unique.