"The Soundsuits hide gender, race, class and they force you to look at the work without judgment."

NICK CAVE

Ippolita collaborated with the Brooklyn Museum and  Nick Cave to create two exclusive charms that feature the artist’s famous “Bunny Boy Soundsuit” costume. 

A groundbreaking visual and performance artist, Nick Cave’s interests span sculpture, fashion, music, dance, and puppetry. He started exploring the powerful presence of the human body when he was a dancer for Alvin Ailey in New York, which gave a performative dimension to his later work. Cave creates highly evocative pieces that have been exhibited in museums all over the world, and performed in “dream projects” both in Chicago and New York. 

Art Matters is a core belief of the IPPOLITA brand. Ippolita, an artist herself long before becoming a designer, has supported the cause of art: the making of it, the study of it, the experience of it as a part of everyday life. 

Soundsuits are the creation that most characterize Nick Cave’s artistic production. The first Soundsuit, crafted from twigs, created a rustling sound when worn. Cave has made more than 500 Soundsuits since 1992, when he started fashioning these “second skin” pieces, as he calls them, as a reaction to police brutality against Rodney King in Los Angeles. 

Soundsuits are transformative objects that conceal race, gender, and class, while being life-affirming and highly performative. These metaphorical suits of armor are crafted with materials ranging from antique toys, to collectibles, faux-fur, and various salvaged objects that create sensorial adornments closer to sculptures than clothing, resembling at times African ceremonial attire, carnival masks, or Rococo and ball costumes.

 The Duke Riley-designed table at the Brooklyn Museum's Brooklyn Artists Ball

This collaboration will kick off on April 16th at the Brooklyn Museum's annual fundraising gala, the Artist's Ball, where Nick Cave is a 2019 honoree. The two charms are an 18K rose gold Bunny Boy covered in a pavé of pink sapphires and limited to an edition of 25 pieces, and a 925 silver Bunny Boy with hanging fringe, accented with pink sapphires and produced without limitation. Both charms will be available for sale at the Brooklyn Museum, the IPPOLITA Madison Avenue store, and IPPOLITA.com with all of the proceeds going to the Brooklyn Museum.

The Brooklyn Museum contains one of the nation's most comprehensive and wide-ranging collections, enhanced by a distinguished record of exhibitions, scholarships, and service to the public. It is both a leading cultural institution and a community museum dedicated to serving a wide-ranging audience. Located in the heart of Brooklyn, the Museum welcomes and celebrates the diversity of its home, borough and city.

"The ceremonial costumes of the past all had a purpose, so I play and mix those in my work with modern creative ideas."

NICK CAVE

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