The human figure remains central to Cave’s practice, serving as both a memorial and a space for reflection. Based in Chicago, he has maintained a longstanding studio in the city and has produced numerous significant projects. His most recent exhibition, Amalgams and Graphts , inaugurated Jack Shainman Gallery’s new Tribeca space in New York City, featuring one of his largest bronze figures to date.
In The Dream Catcher (2022), ornate, opulent embellishments reference traditional Mexican ceremonial dress as well as the extravagant styles of drag, ballroom, and queer performance culture. At the same time, the piece evokes religious processional attire and the theatrical costumes of circus performers. Through this rich visual language, de Nieves explores the fluidity of identity and the transformative potential of self-expression. Recently, de Nieves’s work was presented in the sixth edition of the triennial Prospect New Orleans, “The Future Is Present, The Harbinger Is Home.”
Pepe Mar (b. 1977, Reynosa, Mexico, lives and works in Miami, Florida)
Reginald Sylvester II (b. 1987, Jacksonville, North Carolina, lives and works in Hudson, New York)
Pepe Mar transforms discarded objects into theatrical assemblages, merging high and low culture. His work fuses kitsch and detritus into vibrant sculptural forms rich with narrative and energy. In Cabeza (Oro) (2022), Mar repurposes rattan cornucopias and vessels into an anthropomorphic bust that straddles the grotesque and futuristic. By translating these assemblages into clay, he preserves their textures and histories, giving them new life. The work embodies his alter ego, Paprika, a figure of otherness and fluid identity. Mar’s 15-year survey, Myth and Magic , at the Tampa Museum of Art in 2023, highlighted his ability to elevate the overlooked into fantastical, deeply personal works. His practice challenges traditional sculpture, embracing hybridity, transformation, and wonder drawn from everyday life and material culture.
Sylvester’s approach to abstraction is deeply layered, both physically and conceptually. His manipulation of materials—whether through cutting, stretching, or layering—demonstrates a keen sensitivity to the histories embedded in those surfaces. By incorporating elements from his personal and collective past, he bridges the gap between abstraction and narrative, making his work feel both visceral and meditative. Recent sculptures like Gate (2023), further this exploration by transforming historical symbols of oppression into monuments of resilience. The reference to transatlantic slave ships’ floor plans is striking, as it reframes those brutal histories through a contemporary lens. By elevating these forms into sculptural steel plinths, he not only reclaims their meaning but also offers a sense of transcendence— suggesting a dialogue between past, present, and future.
Raúl de Nieves (b. 1983, Michoacán, Mexico and lives and works in New York)
Rose B. Simpson (b. 1983, Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico, lives and works in Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico)
Raúl de Nieves is an interdisciplinary artist, performer, and musician whose practice spans stained-glass-style narrative paintings, animated performances, and densely adorned figurative sculptures encrusted with beads, sequins, bells, and other homespun materials. His work celebrates transformation, excess, and the power of adornment, drawing from Mexican craft traditions, religious iconography, mythology, and queer club culture.
Rose B. Simpson’s multimedia practice explores the figure through Indigenous influences and the postcolonial experience.
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