Theaster Gates
The work of Theaster Gates is deeply engaged in material and cultural preservation, especially as it relates to historical and contemporary power dynamics. From reactivating archives, such as those of the magazines Jet and Ebony, to recovering and repurposing buildings on Chicago's South Side, Gates's expansive practice also includes work in ceramics, painting, sculpture, installation, music, and performance. Drawing from diverse sources and narratives, he produces work that invokes the preservation and thoughtful examination of oft-neglected or distorted Black cultural and social histories, aspects of contemporary life that continue today to be dangerously misunderstood or misconstrued by hegemonic powers both within and outside of the arts.