Thiester Gates at his Chicago Studio in 2023. Lindon french
A few weeks ago, Thiester Gates opened his first show “Hold Me, Hold Me, Hold Me,” with the newly opened New York City Outpost of White Cube. Although gates are often classified as a sculptor, their art does not always fit such well -organized categories and usually extends to include installation and social practice, later activated through the foundation of its reconstruction in Chicago. All his tasks are more than meeting with eyes, so we caught him to listen to “hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me” and hear him, which is open through March.
- I understand that the title of your show came from the refraction of the 1970s doubles “B Real Black for Me” by Donny Hathway and Robert Flack. When did you face this song for the first time? Do you think you attract it as a source of artistic inspiration?
- You recently told Chicago Magazine, “When I have an exhibition, this is a chance for me, ‘What do I want to study right now?” “What other studies happened in this show?
- In this show, a sculpture was made from your old piano, which you have covered in the roof tar. What are some of your early memories with that piano? What was your relationship growing for music?
- Your practice spreads sculpture, installation, performance and urban interventions. Is there a medium that is more satisfying for you than others? Is there someone else who is more fun?
- This past decline, you celebrated the 10th anniversary of the black artist retreat of your reconstruction Foundation. What have you learned for ten years of retreat?
- Other work in the show has been prepared from the archives and jets of the archives. Have you read the magazines that are growing up? What is your belief now?
- I know that the south side Stony Island is a treasure of books, periodic and other materials found on your foundation at Arts Bank. What are some other individual highlights from your collection?
I understand that the title of your show came from the refraction of the 1970s doubles “B Real Black for Me” by Donny Hathway and Robert Flack. When did you face this song for the first time? Do you think you attract it as a source of artistic inspiration?
I think Donnie and Robert are in my mind from birth. I was born in ’73, and “B Real Black for Me” was released in 1972. I was born in soul music, and I was born in this poetic black bliss. Despite the complexities of black life in urban cities, it was a pleasure, but I could remember Roberta and Doni’s consciousness in my pre-e-Kyunis, usually on Saturday when I was forced to listen to the music of my sisters. They were always playing Roberta Flack, especially cut first. “Be real black for me” because the total consciousness has recently started killing me because I am reflecting on my album collection. One of the collections I have is from a wonderful black potter named Marva Jolly. Her partner gave me the album of Marwa when she died, and Marwa had every album of Robert Flack. She mainly focused on women musicians. In thinking about Marva and playing your album, the last decade has been a real reflection of these methods that reflected black love and black lives in our music.
This special song seemed important as it was announcing a harmonic entry. Often, Roberta provides the type of base harmony that allows the doni to be sharp around his notes. She sings with a kind of simplicity, and the dony sings with a slightly more intense vibration. Together, they feel like a couple, and there is something about the couple that felt right to reflect on painting.
You recently told Chicago Magazine, “When I have an exhibition, this is a chance for me, ‘What do I want to study right now?” “What other studies happened in this show?
Exhibitions have always been a reflection time. The period before the exhibition is the period that looks best, especially research that goes into a story creation that can work. “Catch me, hold me, hold me,” a lot of work was thinking about the future direction of my painting and how I wanted to express new sculpture ideas. In some cases, these ideas and pictures have long been in my head, such as using the color on the torch, but I try to be somewhat organized how I highlight the material. The more we use the material, the more I realize that these big things can do more complex things. It can be flat, such as on the roof, but it can also have alms, and it can take the shape of all things that touch it. With this, I think the future use of materials in sculpture will increase.
In this show, a sculpture was made from your old piano, which you have covered in the roof tar. What are some of your early memories with that piano? What was your relationship growing for music?
Piano is not emotional at all. The cruelty of the piano is more than Doni Hathaway and Roberta Flack as great musicians. Piano holds black music, it holds its time at Howard University, it reflects classical training and our knowledge of working together. This is the ongoing conversation that I am doing about protection and death. To preserve this piano which is long in my life, it means that I present it unusable. It sometimes looks like sculpture. The act of fixing or using tar as a fixative and preservative. It is also strange what museums do. It makes it completely useless in future.
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It is appropriate to say that I think some compartmentalization was happening in my music life. My father did not listen to the music of the church, and my mother, at least when I was younger, did not listen to a lot of secular music. So, when I was listening to the music of my time, I was listening to it with my sisters. I was personally interested in Pat Metheni, John Petituchi, Dave Welle, Johnny Hoges, Neena Simone – I was interested in the canon of jazz and soul and some classical, but new jazz and experimental sound and electronica. In high school, I heard a lot of depeck mode because this was around me. Every time at a time, I will make some time for some Joni Mitchell. I was taking all this and changing it all the time in the Baptist Church hymns. I believe that making music with monks makes me very happy, but so makes a successful painting.
Your practice spreads sculpture, installation, performance and urban interventions. Is there a medium that is more satisfying for you than others? Is there someone else who is more fun?
I do not think of spreading my practice many strategies or giving embodiment. It seems to me that I have an overroaching philosophical theory, or I have a set of beliefs, and I use materials I want to express that set of beliefs. I think a part of the reason is so continuing between buildings and goods and public intervention that it is flowing from a set of all values, and I think they are consistent. This set of values involves recognizing and respecting the power within objects; Investment in rituals; Choosing a drain for ideas; Imagine the circumstances – good and bad – I should answer as the conditions I should answer and be a part of my work. If the condition is that there is an abandoned building next to my house, then I should do something about it. I use my actual imminency to determine my next project.
This past decline, you celebrated the 10th anniversary of the black artist retreat of your reconstruction Foundation. What have you learned for ten years of retreat?
When I feel that black artists have left behind 2013 and Najideka Akunili Crossbie, Amy Sherld, Let Yiyadam-BoaK and finally, have seen Debora Roberts, and attend the gathering in Kenya with Michael Armitage, I realize that the black artistic practices to be brown and brown for this last one decade. By calling so many artists in the last decade, you also know that artists need each other stories that we do. Over the years, we have advised each other how to navigate market complications; We have supported each other in high and low times; And many artists met on the retreat and became a lifelong friend and sometimes a partner. Being together is a powerful task, and it does not require institutional intervention to happen. I am grateful to being a convenor and all others who have hosted amazing holidays before and after me.
Other work in the show has been prepared from the archives and jets of the archives. Have you read the magazines that are growing up? What is your belief now?
I can use Jet magazine and see television listing to know when Sanford and son or good Times were coming. The magazines were always around. They were like the expansion of black consciousness. It was not something that I remember as a personal task, but it was part of the life of being in my house. Now, they occupy the same weight as encyclopedia Britannica. This week-by-week is an incredible reference tool for black life’s “skinny”.
I know that the south side Stony Island is a treasure of books, periodic and other materials found on your foundation at Arts Bank. What are some other individual highlights from your collection?
My collections are special because so much that I have not unpacked. A part of the joy of collecting is that they give me an opportunity to constantly surprise. Late, I am Chicago Neberhood Dr. Listening to a lot of soul music from the wax record stores, which is one of my early album collections. I am looking at the letter art from a small collection of artist books that I got from a book shop in Cleveland, Ohio. The production that was produced in White American Art in the 1960s and early 1970s was Super interesting. There were many typewriter arts, diary-based writing and personal feelings provided to the public. You may feel that artists were working with low financial resources and often a different type of creative impulse. It was as biography as it was ideological. The existence of these archives is like being a more art friend around me all the time.
