Nick Cave (born February 4, 1959 in Fulton, Missouri, USA) is an American fabric sculptor, dancer, and performance artist. He is best known for his Soundsuits: wearable fabric sculptures that are bright, whimsical, and other-worldly. He also trained as a dancer with Alvin Ailey.  He resides in Chicago and is director of the graduate fashion program at School of the Art Institute of Chicago.  Soundsuits are sculptural costumes enveloping the wearer's body in materials including dyed human hair, sisal, plastic buttons, beads, wire, sequins, and feathers. In using everyday objects, Cave can create an atmosphere of familiarity while rearranging them into interpretive representations of both social and material culture.  As race, identity, and gender are generally accepted to form the axis of his work, Cave's Soundsuits can telegraph many concepts simultaneously. The meaning of the suits can therefore change based on their environment, movement, fixed state, and/or the inclusion of group choreography.  The finished pieces bear some resemblance to African ceremonial costumes and masks. The suits also reference carnival costumes, Dogon costumes, Rococo, and ball culture.

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