Publisher's Synopsis
Transferring what has been rejected from everyday life or urban space into art and thus supplying it with a new usefulness, is one of Theaster Gates' fundamental artistic strategies. The sculptures and often spatially invasive works for Kunsthaus Bregenz, some of them new, follow this position. A selection of the collection that Gates calls 'Negrobilia', which has been compiled over the years by Edward J. and Ana J. Williams with the intention of removing these objects from the market and matter of-course visibility, is shown for the first time. Contributions by Romi Crawford and Jackie Stewart broach Gates' complex Black Archive, as a critical confrontation with social and political themes. Thomas D. Trummer examines the artistic concept that underlies the exhibition in Bregenz. Large-format illustrations of earlier work and in particular the new works realized for Bregenz, as well as a carefully compiled biography and bibliography, offer a comprehensive insight into the work of the American artist. Published on the occasion of the exhibition Theaster Gates: Black Archive at Kunsthaus Bregenz, 23 April - 26 June 2016. English and German text.
