Archive for May, 2014
Last Friday, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago honored Nick Cave for his transformative work in fashion & design with the Legend of Fashion award at The WALK 2014. As part of the festivities, he gave three live performances. How can I even begin to describe the experience of seeing a Nick Cave performance?
Exhilarating. Joyous. Kaleidoscopic.
I feel in my spirit an enthusiastic affirmation of life when I experience Nick Cave’s art (to say one ‘looks at’ his work misses the point entirely). Whether it’s a psychedelic performance or an intricately constructed static object, Nick Cave celebrates the living, breathing, muscle-and-bone physical experience of being alive. His dances go beyond the reality of the room, transporting the community to a shared state of mind on a transcendental level.
I’m lucky to have seen Nick Cave perform twice, once at a friend’s party a few years ago and again at The WALK 2014. I’ve also seen his sculptures exhibited at museums; here in Chicago at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Crystal Bridges in Northwest Arkansas, close to my hometown. To behold a Nick Cave sculpture is to marvel at the endless opportunity for creative expression within human beings. He is a conduit, one of contemporary art’s supreme examples of the vibrating, almost violent creative energy that courses through the veins of every single person. All people have within them the potential for creative expression.
To view Nick Cave’s work to experience a collaboration with the creator. A rare feat for any artist, to make the viewer feel included in the creative process. As for how Cave manages to achieve such a magical triumph, well, that’s the sublime beauty and spiritual power of his art.
I was also lucky to have the chance to chat with Naomi Beckwith, curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art, along with my intern Chloe and her mom Keiko. Naomi presented the Legend of Fashion award to Nick Cave, along with her heartwarming tribute to one of Chicago’s most influential artists.
It was the hook that caught my eye, but Aaron’s Gitman Vintage banana-print shirt was only the beginning. From head-to-toe, this is a man with impeccable taste. Woven loafers, cuffed trousers, an American Apparel leather bag, and just the right amount of bracelets balance the kooky print, grounding Aaron’s look while expressing his personality. It’s pitch-perfect.
The first-edition copy of Ada by Vladimir Nabokov is perhaps the best accessory I’ve ever spotted. You can never go wrong with a great book, especially during a street-style photo shoot…
