Nick Cave, 2007
Photograph by Polly Borland /Original painting by Tony Clark
Commissioned by the Arts Centre in 2007

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Australian songwriter/musician Nick Cave is appearing at the Victorian Arts Centre in an exhibition that shows the many sides of his talents: aural and visual, writing and performing. Being able to view a collection that attempts to delve deep into the inner-workings of this darkly creative mind, Kate McCurdy discovers can be a fascinating experience.

Nick Cave, the enigmatic frontman of early bands The Boys Next Door and The Birthday Party, to the ever-evolving Bad Seeds and new project Grinderman, and with a novel and a few screenplays under his belt, is now the subject of his own exhibition in Melbourne. Visitors are taken on a journey into the imaginative world of Nick Cave – his music, writing, artwork and those whose work are inspired by him – at The Arts Centre’s George Adams Gallery. Nick Cave has donated over 800 items to the Arts Centre’s Performing Arts Collection, and the artist himself personally selected many of these items to be featured in the exhibition which has been created and designed by The Arts Centre. His inspirations are arranged in an eclectic manner, together with his own work, in a creative office/studio-like space. The man’s charismatic image adorn the walls of the carefully designed spaces, his amplified voice alternately growls and screams the lyrics to Loverman or recits passages from his novel. Rare video footage of performances and documentary material has been provided by long-time friend, collaborator and fellow Bad Seed, Mick Harvey. The high level of involvement by Cave in the exhibition appears to be motivated by his desire to be identified as an Australian musician, despite being based in Brighton, England and living abroad for much of his life.