Nick Cave's Ceramic Devil Narrative at Xavier Hufkens

Rock musician Nick Cave presents 17 glazed ceramic figurines at Xavier Hufkens in Brussels, depicting the life and death of Satan. The exhibition runs from April 5 to May 11, 2024. Cave's works adopt a naive, domestic style inspired by 18th-century English Derby pottery and Victorian Staffordshire 'flatbacks'. His Devil appears as an everyman figure who experiences love, violence, remorse, and eventual forgiveness. Scenes include Devil Takes a Bride, Devil Kills His First Child, and Devil Forgiven, where a blond-haired boy caresses the dying monster. Cave's artistic turn reflects his evolving persona from postpunk hellraiser to sage-like figure exploring themes of redemption. The ceramic series began during lockdown with an urge to sculpt the Devil. His approach deflates the traditional awe of the subject through folk ornament aesthetics. The exhibition extends Cave's public exploration of faith, which has drawn mixed reactions from fans. One critic noted the singer's 'religious turn' as difficult for some followers. Cave describes his faith as intuitive, skeptical, and profoundly personal. The works reiterate his attachment to an old-world moral universe of sin and redemption. This contrasts with catastrophist orthodoxies dominating contemporary art. Cave's ceramic Stations of the Cross appear as humble offerings despite his fame elsewhere.