Theaster Gates: Afro-Mingei

Trained as a sculptor and urban planner, Theaster Gates first travelled to Japan in 2004 to study ceramics. Since then, his work has been deeply influenced by Japanese craft and culture. His encounters in Japan and across the Asia-Pacific, coupled with his experiences as an African-American man with roots in Mississippi and Chicago, have been the keystones of his creative process. Through his exploration of cultural hybridity, he coined the term “Afro-Mingei” to describe his unique aesthetic. This catalogue appears with Gates’s first solo exhibition in Japan and includes three essays and an interview with the artist to deepen our understanding of his multifaceted work.