Groundbreaking Exhibit, ‘Nick Cave: Forothermore’ Opens In New York

(NEW YORK, NY)—Traveling from the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Nick Cave: Forothermore opens this weekend at the Guggenheim (November 18, 2022–April 10, 2023). The retrospective honors Nick Cave’s lifelong commitment to creating space for those who feel marginalized by dominant culture—especially working-class communities and queer people of color.

Nick Cave (b. 1959, Fulton, Missouri) has become internationally celebrated for his elaborate sculpture and found-object installations, including his iconic Soundsuits, which blend sculpture, fashion, and social performance. Nick Cave: Forothermore examines the development of Cave’s creative practice, which combines visual and performing arts while simultaneously questioning the promises—fulfilled or broken—that the late 20th and early 21st centuries have afforded those deemed as “other.”

Cave explains that the word “Forothermore” was created as “an ode to those who, whether due to racism, homophobia, or other forms of bigotry, live their lives as the ‘other’, and a celebration of the way art, music, fashion, and performance can help us envision a more just future.” A Chicago-based artist, Cave’s influences range from the Chicago House music scene and the psychedelia of George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic collective, to Bauhaus design principles and lessons on creativity passed on from his family.

The exhibit is broken out into three distinct sections titled “What It Was,” “What It Is,” and “What It Shall Be,” inspired by an old African American greeting. Told as a story in three parts—the sections can be thought of as chapters that look into the past, present, and future. “What It Was” explores early works that honor the artist’s creative and social foundations within his family and beyond. “What It Is” includes Cave’s work addressing oppression, loss, mourning, and remembrance, but also joy and collective celebration. Finally, “What It Shall Be” highlights Cave’s recent collection of Soundsuits and Tondo works, which exemplify his survival strategies amid injustice.

In honor of Cave’s desire to give access to the broadest possible audience, the opening weekend of Nick Cave: Forothermore will be free to the public, thanks in part to support by the Ford Foundation.

Nick Cave: Forothermore is organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. The exhibition is curated by Naomi Beckwith, Deputy Director and Jennifer and David Stockman Chief Curator of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, New York, and formerly Manilow Senior Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, with Jack Schneider, Curatorial Assistant, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.