Collaboration of Thomas Houseago, Brad Pitt, and Nick Cave: Exploring Their Joint Venture

The importance of friendship and recovery is just as significant as the art itself. International artist Thomas Houseago's first public art exhibition, "WE" at the Sara Hildén Art Museum in Tampere, Finland, showcases his sculptures and paintings, as well as a series of pottery by Nick Cave and sculptures by Brad Pitt. Although Cave and Pitt are well-known in the music and film industries, respectively, this marks the first time that their works created through an ongoing dialogue with Houseago will be displayed publicly.

According to Houseago, creativity is a crucial aspect of humanity and is present within each of us. For this exhibition, the artist has taken a bold approach to the invitation he received from the Sara Hildén Art Museum. By showcasing the artwork of his creative partners, he introduces the idea of WE, redefining the concept of original creation and pushing back against the notion that artists are solitary figures. Instead, he celebrates a more communal approach to art-making. 

The artistic processes that have shaped the works of each artist here showcase the stages of growth, change and metamorphosis over time. In Nick Cave's work, this transformation is depicted more literally through a series of 17 glazed ceramic figures, depicting the Devil's journey from innocence to his confrontation with mortality. "The Devil - A Life" is Cave's first major visual project, comprising 17 unique pieces that range from 15 to 50cm in height, each one handcrafted, painted, and glazed by Cave in England between 2020 and 2022. The series is a nod to Cave's fascination with Victorian Staffordshire Flatback figurines, of which he is a collector. He was helped with the project by Corin Johnson. 

For the first time, a collection of sculptural works by Brad Pitt has been unveiled to the public. This range of works includes a moulded plaster panel that depicts a gunfight scene and is cast using multiple impressions of the human body. In addition, there is a series of house-shaped sculptures that are mounted on plinths and moulded in clear silicone. Each of these sculptures has been shot with a different gauge of ammunition, showcasing the trajectory of the bullet and capturing the destructive motion. One of the highlights of the collection is House A Go Go (2017), which is Pitt's first-ever sculpture. This 46cm tall composite is made from timber off-cuts and has a crude appearance.

 

"Our mutual misery became comic..and out of this misery came a flame of joy in my life. I always wanted to be a sculptor; I’d always wanted to try it." – says Pitt of the events that led the trio together.  

"I’m very happy and proud that Thomas Houseago decided to bring WE to Tampere. It is also exciting to get to experience a new and different artistic side of Nick Cave and Brad Pitt. We deliver a strong message of working together, creating something new and a sense of community that is compatible with Tampere, as the city is known for its capacity for change and making bold decisions together. The message of doing together and relying on each other is very powerful in these turbulent times", says Anna-Kaisa Ikonen, Mayor of Tampere.

 

THOMAS HOUSEAGO – WE

18.9.2022 - 15.1.2023

SARA HILDÉN ART MUSEUM 

 

Courtesy of Sara Hildén Art Museum