Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park will unveil a new, monumental sculpture Oct. 3 by internationally celebrated artist Nick Cave in its permanent collection – Amalgam (Origin).
Sited along the North Path near The Richard & Helen DeVos Japanese Garden and Michigan’s Farm Garden, this work will expand and diversify Meijer Gardens’ permanent collection of more than 300 international sculptures, also distinguishing it as the home of the artist’s first public outdoor sculpture.
"Nick Cave's Amalgam (Origin) marks a true return to his artistic origins," said Suzanne Ramljak, Vice President of Collections & Curatorial Affairs. "The sculpture's branching crown and wooded site harken back to his very first Soundsuit, made of discarded twigs, while recalling the primal sustenance of nature itself."
Amalgam (Origin) is an evolution, on a colossal scale of 26 feet tall, of Nick Cave’s iconic Soundsuits—spectacular forms blending fashion and sculpture that were created in response to the brutal beating of Rodney King by police in 1991. Though they originated as a form of protection, the Soundsuits have since developed into vehicles for empowerment, with Cave having made hundreds in varying shapes and materials, all based on the scale of his own body. Serving as physical camouflage, the elaborate sculpted surfaces create a second skin that conceals race, gender and class, forcing viewers to look without judgment.
Cave’s work draws from craft traditions, fashion, vintage textiles and other labor-intensive practices to create surfaces that are visually ornate and historically specific. In Amalgam (Origin), the collage-like element of his aesthetic is expressed by the highly textured and detailed bronze casting. In contrast to Cave’s earlier seated bronze, A•mal•gam, the monumental and towering Amalgam (Origin) appears firmly rooted in the earth, as if growing directly out of the soil. Like a community beacon, the sculpture celebrates each person’s unique individuality while connecting it to humanity’s shared grounding in the natural world.
“I am thrilled that Amalgam (Origin) has a permanent home at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park,” said Cave. “It was developed specifically to be placed outdoors, and I can’t imagine a better home than at Meijer Gardens. Having done my graduate studies at Cranbrook Academy of Art, I also love the full-circle moment of my first major outdoor sculpture being in Michigan. I hope to see real birds nesting in the bronze branches when we visit next spring.”
Amalgam (Origin) arrives from a recent exhibition with two of Cave’s other new works at Jack Shainman Gallery in Tribeca in New York City, where it was exhibited as part of a series of three large bronze sculptures titled Amalgams.
The acquisition of Amalgam (Origin) is made possible by the generosity of Fred and Lena Meijer and the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Foundation.
For more information about the permanent sculpture collection at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, visit MeijerGardens.org/sculpture
