Unbeknownst to most residents in Tampa Bay, an art world giant, Nick Cave, managed to sneak work into our airport last year. OK, maybe that doesn’t immediately ring a bell to those outside of the art world, so here’s the deal. Nick Cave — the artist, not the musician — is one of the greatest contemporary American artists alive. His work is in museum collections across the globe. Cave’s practice ranges from performance to visual art and anything in between. More exciting is that he’s coming to town to talk about those practices and that artwork he and his partner/collaborator Bob Faust created for Tampa International Airport. On October 8 and 9, Cave and Faust are taking part in an artist talk at TIA and workshop at the University of South Florida. Both events are free and open to the public with an RSVP, but the airport event is at capacity (spots for the USF workshop remained open at time of publication).
Another logical question could be “why the airport?” Cave and Faust were selected from hundreds of proposals for TIA’s Public Art Program. Their work is a colossal tapestry titled “Palimpsest.” It measures 45-by-70-feet and weighs an impressive 1,500 pounds. This behemoth hangs above the escalators in the south end of the airport car rental center, so it makes sense that most Bay area residents missed its arrival.
In his artist statement, Cave says the work “is a monumentally scaled, hand-made, holder of memories, past, present and future.” He goes on to say that “Palimpsest” is “a conceptual web of travels, coded by color and steeped in human connection.”
By definition a palimpsest is a manuscript that is written on more than once while evidence of the original layer still shows through. The work’s wall label, located by TIA’s fourth floor elevators, gives visitors three more modern definitions that expand to more contemporary uses. The second definition says that a palimpsest has “diverse layers or aspects apparent beneath the surface.” It’s clear in these definitions that Cave and Faust weaved a multi-layered meaning within their massive, handmade tapestry.
What I’ve left out is that Nick Cave is an African-American. I called him one of the greatest contemporary artists, which makes him one of the greatest African-American artists practicing, too. His works address race and the societal complications that entails. His most well-known project is probably “Soundsuits,” which he first created in 1992 after Los Angeles police officers were captured on tape beating Rodney King. Each intricate suit conceals the identity of the person inside, leaving viewers to see the brightly colored designs and hear the unique sounds created from each movement. While the dancer inside moves freely without prejudice, the viewers watch and listen with no ability to make assumptions. One must simply enjoy the performance, the art.
In 2017, Cave said that he wants “to use art to start conversations, to inspire empathy and optimism, as an agent of change.” Imagine what we could accomplish if we all had such a conversation. Thanks to TIA and USF College of the Arts, Cave and Faust are bringing this practice to the Tampa Bay so that anyone, artist or not, can learn to better engage with fellow humans.
This is the first time TIA and USF’s College of the Arts have combined forces to bring such a powerhouse event to the area. Tuesday’s airport talk, titled “Nick Cave: Art, Performance, and Empowerment”, finds Cave and Faust walking with attendees to visit the piece afterward. If you didn’t RSVP in time, you can still see “Palimpsest” at the car rental center. It’s an easy walk from the economy parking garage and in an area open to the public — you don’t need a special tour or plane ticket to visit it.
The event on Wednesday, titled “Identity and the Art of Introduction”, finds Cave and Faust running a workshop alongside select USF students; the public is invited to attend as observers, and the university wants to showcase “the power of collaboration and the critical role that understanding each other, as people and artists, plays among participants.”
Cave having work in the Bay area, and him coming to interact with art fans, make for priceless events in the local arts community. As much as we love to brag about our local arts scene it is just that: Local.
Yes, USF’s College of the Arts routinely brings in professional artists from around the world to speak to students and run occasional workshops on campus — and TIA is actively working to more closely engage the local community by starting public art tours and hosting this artist talk — but in reality, art lovers not involved in the academic scene don’t have many events where they can listen to huge artists talk about their work and practice. The opportunities to engage further, into the deeper layers, with artists like Cave and Faust are rare if you’re not pursuing a degree. With next week's events, the community at large has the chance to watch and listen to one of the greatest living artists, for free.
It’s remarkable to have an artist like Cave adding his own personal palimpsest — and leaving a mark on our community — this week. His and Fausts’ presence here is a huge win for Bay artists and locals alike, and the work’s impact goes well beyond art. Just imagine the collaborations that we could accomplish if we could each learn to engage our neighbors beyond surface layers and our own assumptions.
Hopefully landing Cave is just the beginning.
Nick Cave & Bob Faust in Tampa. “Art, Performance and Empowerment”(Tues. Oct. 8 at Tampa International Airport. Sold out) and “Identity and the Art of Introduction” workshop at the University of South Florida Tampa Campus (Wed. Oct. 9, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free with RSVP). ira.usf.edu.
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This article appears in Oct 3-10, 2019.