Theaster Gates at The Smart Museum of Art

‘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.