Ground Rules
2015
Wood flooring
78 1/4 x 100 x 2 1/2"

A Hill Far Away
2015
Wood, roofing substrate, copper and paint
24 x 28 1/4 x 5 1/8"

Theaster Gates (b. 1973, Chicago) is an artist whose work includes sculpture, installation, performance and urban interventions that aim to bridge the gap between art and life. Gates works as an artist, curator, urbanist and facilitator. His projects attempt to instigate the creation of cultural communities by acting as catalysts for social engagement that leads to political and spatial change.

Gates has described his working method as “critique through collaboration”—often with architects, researchers and performers—to create works that stretch the idea of what we usually understand visual-based practices to be. Gates trained as both a sculptor and an urban planner, and his works are rooted in a social responsibility and underpinned by a deep belief system. His installations and sculptures mostly incorporate found materials—often from the neighborhoods where he is engaged—that have historical and iconic significance.