How Nick Cave Memorializes His Ancestors Through 'Mammoth' Work

An exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum spotlights how the artist Nick Cave turns everyday objects into the foundation of large-scale work, building sculptures and soundsuits that function as memorials to his ancestors. The show traces the way found buttons, ceramic birds and salvaged furniture accumulate into something monumental. Cave describes the practice as a way of keeping people present rather than representing them.