Artist Nick Cave, known for his famed “Sound Suits,” currently has taken over MASS MoCA with his massive installation “Until.” Just the numbers involved are astounding: more than 10 miles of crystals, 25 chandeliers, a crocodile, 17 cast-iron lawn jockeys, 13 gilded pigs, 16,000 wind spinners, millions of beads, and additionally, thousands of ceramics objects (animals and fruits, mostly). Yet, assembled, the piece tackles bigger questions than its contents would make viewers assume.
“This is an active space where alluring kinetics and a sumptuous, overwhelming materiality give way to stark images of guns, bullets, and targets, positioning us all as culpable, vulnerable, and potentially under attack,” the museum says. “The aim of this is pointed, questioning us to spark discussion about important issues in a space that is at once dazzling, provocative, and — ultimately — optimistic. Cave believes in humanity, celebrating possibility while also creating a forum for critical discussion that eventually provokes the question, ‘Is there racism in heaven?’”
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“Until” has occupied the venue for the past few months and lasts through August of this year. During its tenure, the artist has had several performers come in to react to the piece and recontextualize it with other disciplines.