THE DEVIL – A LIFE
23 January 2024
The work consists of a series of ceramic figures developed and handcrafted by Nick Cave in the period 2020 – 2022. The figures are religious in nature and are inspired by Staffordshire ‘flatback’ ceramics from the Victorian era. They tell the life story of the Devil in 17 stations; from his birth to his death. It is the portrait of the Devil’s life, but also of the lives of all of us, as we move from innocence to experience, address the world and loss, and move toward a confrontation with our own mortality, all the while seeking forgiveness.
This is Cave’s first major body of visual work and was first shown in the exhibition We at the Sara Hildén Art Museum in Finland (2022-23), together with work by Thomas Houseago and Brad Pitt. The Devil – A Life will exhibit at Xavier Hufkens Gallery in Brussels this April.
Number of figures: 17
Material: Glazed ceramic
Size: Varies from approx. 15 cm to 50 cm in height.
