Skip to content
Museum Exhibition

Theaster Gates at The Smart Museum of Art

Posted:

Visit Artist Page

23 September 2025 – 22 February 2026

Chicago, Illinois

‘Theaster Gates: Unto Thee’ opens at the Smart Museum of Art this September. The exhibition highlights several collections of objects central to Gates's artistic practice, many of which were acquired through the University of Chicago, where he serves as Professor of Visual Arts.

The exhibition features work made from objects such as glass lantern slides, display vitrines, paint-stained concrete and wooden pews that have been discarded and deemed no longer needed. With the presentation, Gates challenges the idea of objects being static, instead uncovering new histories and stories.

‘Theaster Gates: Unto Thee’ explores Gates’s interest in the process of making. Drawing on the relationships he’s fostered with the University of Chicago, local communities, the South Side and broader Chicago, the exhibition underscores the artist’s belief in the potential of art to connect with and transform communities.

Events

Theaster Gates at the 2025 Vision & Justice Convening

6 - 7 October 2025 | Harvard University, MA

Announcement

Theaster Gates and Rebuild Foundation’s opening of The Land School

14 September 2025 | Chicago, Illinois

Award

Theaster Gates honoured as a MOCA Legend

31 May 2025 | Los Angeles, CA

Events

Tomoo Hamada’s Residency at Theaster Gates’s Rebuild Foundation

20 - 21 May 2025 | Chicago IL

Events

Theaster Gates and Rebuild Foundation at the Stony Island Arts Bank

26 - 27 April 2025 | Chicago, Illinois

Create an Account

To view available artworks and access prices.

Create account