The Power of Preservation: Theaster Gates’ Vision of Rejuvenation
Table of Contents
- 1. The Power of Preservation: Theaster Gates’ Vision of Rejuvenation
- 2. theaster Gates: A Visionary Echoes of Malcolm’s Legacy in 1965
- 3. The Urgent Need for Artistic Resistance in a Digital Age
- 4. How does Theaster Gates’s practice of incorporating tangible, handcrafted objects into his artwork serve as a form of resistance against the dominance of digital technology in contemporary society?
- 5. An Conversation with Theaster Gates: Resisting Erasure Through Art
- 6. Static Amidst the Digital World
- 7. The Urgency of Artistic Witness
- 8. Can Art Truly Spark Change?
In the ever-evolving landscape of art and activism, there are individuals who stand out, not just for their talent, but for their unwavering commitment to positive change. For me, one such figure is Theaster Gates, a Chicago-based artist, activist, and urban planner whose work transcends the boundaries of conventional art forms. A decade ago, I had the opportunity to spend time with him, witnessing firsthand the impact of his vision on his community.
Gates’s journey began with a simple act of investment – buying empty houses in his neighborhood with his own savings. These structures, he saw, weren’t just abandoned buildings; they were vessels brimming with potential, awaiting a chance to breathe new life into the community. He strategically converted them into vibrant hubs: the Archive House, filled with 14,000 art books rescued from a closed bookstore, and the Listening House, a sanctuary for music lovers overflowing with LPs from a beloved local record store. The addition of a soul food kitchen cemented the space as a community gathering place, fostering a sense of belonging and shared experience.
Gates’s artistic practice extends beyond these physical spaces. He’s a creator of captivating installations using unconventional materials – think discarded water hoses repurposed into poignant collages, or shoe-shine stands fashioned from salvaged wood, each piece carrying a rich history and a powerful message about Black American experiences.
His approach resonated deeply with his neighborhood, sparking a wave of revitalization and optimism. “Gates’s political act is to say that craft matters, objects matter, in an increasingly digitised and manipulated world,” says the artist himself.
His dedication doesn’t stop at local boundaries; Gates actively shares his vision with struggling communities across the american rust belt, inspiring them to reclaim their spaces and rewrite their narratives.
In a world obsessed with the allure of technological advancement and the constant pursuit of “breaking things,” Gates offers a powerful counter-narrative. He stands as a beacon, demonstrating that true progress lies in preserving, nurturing, and breathing life into what already exists. He inspires us to see beauty in the discarded, to value the craft, and to recognize the inherent worth of the tangible world around us.
theaster Gates: A Visionary Echoes of Malcolm’s Legacy in 1965
In the heart of London’s art scene, Theaster Gates, a visionary artist, is weaving a captivating tapestry of history, memory, and artistic expression. At the White Cube gallery in Bermondsey, Gates is preparing a monumental exhibition that delves into the profound impact of Malcolm X’s legacy, sixty years after his tragic assassination.
This exhibition, titled “1965: Malcolm in Winter: A Translation Exercise,” offers a unique outlook on this pivotal moment in history. Gates’ artistic journey took an unexpected turn when he presented an exhibition in Tokyo last year. This show explored the interconnectedness between the American civil rights movement and Japanese traditions of meticulous craftsmanship.
Amidst the viewers was Haruhi Ishitani, an 87-year-old woman whose life was profoundly intertwined with Malcolm X’s story. Ishitani’s late husband, Ei Nagata, a journalist, had dedicated his life to understanding Black-American history. The couple was driven by an unwavering passion, amassing a vast archive of pamphlets and posters from the 1960s. Nagata even translated all of Malcolm X’s speeches into Japanese, a testament to their admiration for the civil rights icon. The couple’s obsession stemmed from their eyewitness experience: they were in the Harlem audience on February 21, 1965, the day Malcolm X was tragically killed while delivering a speech.
Following Nagata’s passing, ishitani, grappling with the legacy of her husband’s extraordinary collection, found an answer in Gates’s Tokyo exhibition. Moved by its themes and resonating with its spirit, she made the momentous decision to donate their cherished archive to the artist.
Gates’s Bermondsey exhibition will showcase a selection of this remarkable archive. Woven into the narrative are his signature architectural sculptures, delicate wooden Japanese tea houses, and serene temple spaces. Gates believes the timing and the acquisition of the Malcolm X archive are not coincidences.
“I now think maybe the purpose of me doing the exhibition [in Tokyo],” he reflects, “was, in fact, to meet Haruhi and receive the archive…” Gates views his role as an artist as one of a keen listener, attuned to the subtle “frequencies in the air” of any given moment. He seeks to decipher these frequencies, transforming them into artistic expressions – “a little less treble, a little more bass”, he explains.Through this compelling exhibition, Gates invites us to step into a world where history, memory, and artistic innovation converge. It is indeed a space for contemplation, reflection, and a deeper understanding of the legacy of Malcolm X, a man whose words and actions continue to resonate with profound power.
For artist and curator, Gates, the connection between civil rights and Japanese pottery might seem unusual, but upon reflection, it becomes clear. Each object, each carefully crafted piece, speaks to the pursuit of quality and dignity – values he finds deeply intertwined with the struggle for justice.
A sense of disciplined craftsmanship was instilled in Gates from a young age. His mother, a teacher, stressed the importance of wide reading, while his father, a roofer, emphasized the significance of mastering even the humblest tasks. This early exposure to different ideals shaped his artistic journey, leading him to explore the world of Japanese pottery.
“I thought I was a pretty good intermediate,” he recalls of his time in Tokoname, a centuries-old center of Japanese pottery, “but when I saw these 90-year-old dudes working, I realised that I knew nothing at all.” This encounter with masters, with their unwavering dedication to their craft, sparked a profound realization.It was a realization that resonated with the unwavering commitment of the civil rights activists he admired.
“The question here,” he muses,gesturing around the gallery,”is how do you translate political values into aesthetic values?” his work,he explains,is about more than just artistic expression; it’s about awakening consciousness. In presenting the raw power of archival materials, he invites viewers to engage with history in a dynamic and meaningful way. “An institution woudl immediately remove these things from the public,” he observes,”take them down and down into the dungeons of a building to keep them protected.But this is activism.These documents want to be active.”
Gates sees the archive as a treasure trove, brimming with untapped potential, like seeds waiting for the right conditions to sprout. He believes that art has the power to illuminate these hidden narratives and make history come alive, fostering a deeper understanding of the past and its enduring relevance to the present.
The Urgent Need for Artistic Resistance in a Digital Age
Theaster Gates, renowned artist and cultural provocateur, believes that art is not just a lovely adornment but a potent force for change. In a world increasingly dominated by digital technology and corporate influence, Gates argues that the creation of tangible, handcrafted objects is a powerful act of resistance.
Reflecting on a tumultuous political climate,Gates states,”It doesn’t matter if I’m an artist or a this or a that,a historian who cares,a lawmaker who feels,a songwriter who has a sense of the urgency of the day. They will all now find themselves doing things that an art historian might call socially engaged. And that engagement has to be to resist these contemporary alignments of government with corporations and big technology and communication.”
Gates’s recent work, “Civil Color Spectrum, 2023,” a striking piece crafted from wood and decommissioned fire hose, exemplifies this commitment to tangible creation. He sees his art as a way to combat the ephemeral nature of the digital world and to remind us of the importance of physical objects with past and social significance.
The artist’s perspective is deeply rooted in a profound understanding of history. As he ruminates on the assassinations of civil rights leaders like Fred Hampton, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Bobby Kennedy, he observes, “They killed Fred hampton, Malcolm X, they killed Martin Luther King, they killed Bobby Kennedy. That is a lot of slaughter. So when people then say to me today: ‘The left in America is so weak.’ Well,damn! What we are seeing is how this thing was so effective. These were the people who were saying we could achieve racial unity, we could achieve solidarity. And the regime saw that as a threat and these men were killed.”
Gates believes that these acts of violence aimed to instill fear and suppress the movement for racial equality. He sees a parallel between the tactics of the past and the current challenges faced by progressive movements. He urges artists and individuals of all backgrounds to become active participants in shaping a more just and equitable future.
This call to action is embodied in Gates’s examination of a 1968 civil rights calendar.He holds up a faded, hand-printed copy, remarking, “It’s like, ‘They’re going to make us forget these things unless we make something lasting with them.'” This simple yet profound statement underscores the importance of preserving memory and resisting the forces that seek to erase history.
Gates’s art serves as a potent reminder that the fight for social justice is an ongoing struggle, requiring constant vigilance and creative engagement. It challenges us to confront the complexities of the present while drawing inspiration from the past, reminding us that the fight for a better future is always possible, always worth fighting for.
How does Theaster Gates’s practice of incorporating tangible, handcrafted objects into his artwork serve as a form of resistance against the dominance of digital technology in contemporary society?
An Conversation with Theaster Gates: Resisting Erasure Through Art
Theaster Gates, a renowned artist and cultural provocateur, sat down with Archyde News to discuss his groundbreaking work, his thoughts on the urgent need for artistic resistance in a digital age, and why he believes history demands to be actively made, not passively received.
Static Amidst the Digital World
Interviewer: Mr. Gates, your work often incorporates tangible, handcrafted objects. In a world increasingly dominated by the ephemeral nature of digital technology, what motivates this focus on physical creation?
Theaster Gates: It’s about resistance. The world is rushing towards a completely digital existence, where everything is fleeting, temporary. I believe there is a profound power in resisting that current by creating things that have weight, substance. My sculptures, my installations, they are meant to be touched, experienced physically. They are a statement against the ephemerality of the digital realm. It’s about grounding ourselves in something real, something enduring.
The Urgency of Artistic Witness
Interviewer: You’ve spoken about the assassinations of civil rights leaders like Fred Hampton, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Bobby Kennedy as a form of historical erasure.How does art play a role in countering this attempt to rewrite the past?
Theaster Gates: These acts of violence were not just physical; they were attempts to erase history, to silence those who dared to challenge the status quo. They wanted us to forget, to move on. But art acts as a witness. It preserves memory, it gives voice to the silenced. Through my work, I aim to keep their stories alive.To remind people of the sacrifices that were made, so we don’t forget the ongoing fight for justice and equality.
Can Art Truly Spark Change?
Interviewer: Your installations, your sculptures—they are powerful and thought-provoking. But some might argue that art is too subjective, too removed from the concrete realities of social change. What’s your response to that?
Theaster Gates: We can’t underestimate the power of ideas. art has the ability to provoke thought, to challenge perspectives, to move people emotionally. It can plant seeds of change, even if those seeds take time to germinate. art sparks conversations, it builds connections, it illuminates realities that might otherwise be overlooked. it can push us to confront uncomfortable truths and to imagine a better future.
Mr. Gates leaves us with a powerful challenge: to actively engage with history, to resist erasure, and to use art as a tool for creating a more just and equitable world. The question remains: how will we answer that call?
