Australian musician, songwriter and author Nick Cave is now the subject of his own exhibition which will be hosted by the Western Australian Museum – Perth from May - July 2009.
The exhibition was created and designed by the Arts Centre in Melbourne and is touring nationally in 2009.
Acting Chief Executive Officer of the WA Museum Diana Jones said the exhibition was an exciting opportunity to once again bring a contemporary music exhibition to the people of Western Australia.
“After the success of our WA music exhibition Spin in 2004 we were again looking to display a contemporary culture exhibition.
“The Nick Cave exhibition is a fantastic opportunity for visitors to learn more about one of Australia’s most prolific artists,” Ms Jones said.
Nick Cave – the exhibition delves behind the music and into Cave’s imagination and the sources of his unique vision through original lyrics, notebooks, artwork, photography and books, as well as objects from the musician’s own library and office.
The exhibition takes visitors on a surprisingly insightful and playful journey through his connection with Melbourne, London, Berlin, Sao Paulo and Brighton, England and explores the many phases of Cave’s career including his work with The Boys Next Door, The Birthday Party, The Bad Seeds and Grinderman.
Speaking about the exhibition Nick Cave says, “This has been a revealing and rewarding experience. Much of this stuff has sat around in boxes for years and the process of “excavating” it has been many things – moving, disturbing, inspiring and downright terrifying. The Arts Centre has done an excellent job of researching and collating this material.”
The exhibition draws from over 800 items generously donated by Nick Cave to the Arts Centre’s Performing Arts Collection.
“We are delighted that Nick Cave - the exhibition is travelling to the Western Australian Museum” said Janine Barrand, Director of Collections, Research & Exhibitions at the Arts Centre. “Nick has been really interested and involved working very closely with us on the selection of material for the exhibition. I know that visitors to the Museum will enjoy the experience of discovering new things about Nick Cave and his world.”
Highlights of the exhibition include:
- Lyrics chosen exclusively by Nick Cave to feature in the exhibition
- Notebooks and diaries of Nick Cave
- Original manuscript of Nick Cave’s book, And The Ass Saw The Angel
- A selection of photographs by Polly Borland, Bleddyn Butcher, Peter Milne Anton Corbijn and others
- A unique compilation of moving image selected by Mick Harvey, Bad Seeds member and long time collaborator of Nick Cave
- Artwork by ‘The Man Who Painted Cats’, Louis Wain and objects, on loan from Nick Cave’s personal collection
- Artwork by Tony Clark featured on the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds albums: The Best of the Bad Seeds, 1998 and No More Shall We Part, 2001
- Books from Nick Cave’s personal library
- Designs and artwork by Nick Cave
- Revised manuscript of the script for the film, The Proposition, written by Nick Cave, directed by John Hillcoat
- A selection of flyers, fanzines and posters dating from the late 1970s and The Boys Next Door days to the present
Nick Cave – the exhibition will be on display at the WA Museum – Perth from May 22 – July 19, 2009. Entry to the exhibition is free.
The exhibition is supported by Visions of Australia, an Australian Government Program supporting touring exhibitions by providing funding assistance for the development and touring of cultural material across Australia.
» For more information visit the Nick – Cave The Exhibition website.
For all media enquiries please contact:
Renee Dodds
Western Australian Museum
T: (08) 9212 3860 M: 0417 970 239
renee.dodds@museum.wa.gov.au
Flora Perrella
Western Australian Museum
T. (08) 9212 3856 M: 0424 027 646
flora.perrella@museum.wa.gov.au
