An American artist living in Chicago, Gates works in painting, sculpture, clay, and performance to present social commentary on history, labor, materials, commodity, and the urban condition. His practice includes the reclamation of property in a Chicago neighborhood that has created social gathering sites for the community. Just as Gates reclaims real estate for social activity, his materials have included reclaimed firehoses that evoke historial riot dispersal procedures; discarded, wooden basketball floors; and even tar, which  was used to "mark" slaves who attempted to sreal food. Gates attempts to "recharge" these objects and their histories. However, clay has been a recurring material for Gates throughout his career.To him, a ceramic vessel is a universal object of ceremonial significance; it is a reliquary of history and human experience. It is underneath everything. Gates states, "If it were not for clay, I would not have started my practice."

Source: news May Jun Jul Aug 2021