Narrative Ceramic Artist Research - Nick Cave

There are many musicians, or actors, or celebrities, who dabble in painting, or ceramics, or other media. We can all espouse an opinion on Boy George's paintings, Robbie Williams' ceramics, or Billy Connolly's sculptures. For me, for the most part, I think we should let anyone get anything they can from any form of media. Cashing in on their name/brand is a whole different debate, and not something I need to discuss here.

Quite a while ago I noted Nick Cave's foray into ceramics but never got round to looking further at what he had made. Last weekend I had some time, remembered that I wanted to look, and did the deed. Oh, the joy!

Through YouTube videos and clips on Cave working on his ceramics (https://youtu.be/5WofRvnQuzg?si=cSFA6CsWzRL4xozp), I learned that the venture was born of lockdown back in 2020, and a year long tour being cancelled. Cave had very briefly studied ceramics in his early teens at his father's adult education college and had shown an affinity with the media. He made quite a few pieces which were dutifully collected by his mother and kept for the rest of her very long life. In fact, the day Cave was to venture into his sculptor friend's studio to dabble with clay, his mother passed away at the age of 92. At his wife's behest, Cave went to the studio anyway, and after a few visits, devised a project.

Cave is open about his views on God and organised religion which came across in a potted fashion in his interview with Philippe Van Cauteren in Xavier Hufkens' gallery. (https://youtu.be/N-FmAgCzC8c?si=wl2cTxGMdynBAGwy) He also explains the origins of his collection, The Devil: A Life. (https://www.nickcave.com/news/the-devil-a-life/) The project was born of Cave wishing to use a red glaze which leant to him considering the devil. He then went on to follow the format of the Stations of the Cross of Christ through the Passion, but twisting this to be about the devil, ending up with eighteen pieces, rather than the usual fourteen. Along the way, Cave's work became semi-autobiographical, taking in aspects of his own beliefs or experiences.

Cave based the style of his work on Staffordshire porcelain figurines which he has collected for over twenty years. Self-confessedly not a collector of art, he was gifted one of the figurines by a friend and his collection began. He has researched these and it was an obvious connection when he began his own ceramic project.

A great deal of what Cave stated in the interview resonated with me. His comments surrounding musicians sticking with music and not purporting to be artists as they simply do not have the necessary learning, was salutary. His approach to including narratives in his work, very much like he does when writing lyrics, rang true. He likes to give a story but with some ambiguity, so that the listener, or in this case, the viewer, can still personalise the meaning and add interpretation. The collection of pieces forms a linear narrative that tells an overall story in addition to the individual picture each piece portrays. This is noted by the devil visibly aging over time. 

Applying this to my own narrative ceramic work has given me clarity. I can now see how the format of my practice is evolving in a similar manner, albeit not one I had recognised. Each of my pieces are a snapshot of a wider story about my characters that depict an aspect of their tale, for example, Deaders is seen on his grave, but the whole rhyming story has far more to it. Likewise, Lady Delores Raphus-Schilling will have a hat and a parasol, but, again, the story is a longer tale. Each piece will stand alone, but when seen together, they will tell the overall story of how my characters interact with each other around the backdrop of The Freakshow. Cave gave me a moment of clarity, allowing me to recognise an emerging structure, or formula, that I can now exploit. This will help with my designs and the presentation of my work.