North American artist and current director of the Fashion Design Faculty at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago addresses social and political issues in his work by utilizing clothing-based forms as a response to being a black male in America. In the fashion of ethnographic costumes found in museums, Cave’s the Sound Suits function both as a piece of static sculpture for museum display and as a ceremonial garment for performance. They conceal the identity of the wearers, freeing him of race or skin color or gender. As an African-American male, Cave says he is faced with prejudice every time he steps onto the street; these pieces are made as disguise and protection against the prejudices he encounters daily. He uses discarded objects in a similar way to quilt making, which traditionally utilizes little bits of discarded clothing that are reassembled to form something practical and beautiful. Cave takes apparently worthless materials and transforms them into valuable objects of breathtaking beauty and spirit.
