Theaster Gates Highlights Historical Fight for Land Rights in 'The Gift and The Renege'
Monumental works that touch on gentrification, displacement and racism.
Back in March, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH) presented the first playable basketball court to ever be installed in an arts institution made in collaboration with adidas Basketball. CAMH continues its intuitive public programming with a monumental showcase featuring thought-provoking works by seminal artist Theaster Gates. Entitled ‘Theaster Gates: The Gift and The Renege,’ the presentation navigates complex, socio-political dynamics through large-scale paintings, multimedia installations, and sculptures.
Gates continues to probe the Black experience and everyday lives of marginalized communities through large-scale works that touch on widely overlooked issues such as displacement, gentrification and racism in both the social and domestic contexts. One work entitled “WE WILL SAVE OURSELVES” (2024) features a wire-suspended canvas with a sprayed stencil outlining the piece’s moniker — the artist seemingly speaks on the ongoing troubles that Black Americans face while highlighting the resiliency of the community to face these bleak obstacles themselves.
“’The Gift and The Renege’ is my sculptural attempt to demonstrate the ways that industrial landscapes, displacement, and the historical fight for land rights push the boundaries of modernist and formalist architectural approaches in my practice,” Gates described to CAMH.
The exhibition is open to the public through October 20. Head to CAMH’s website for more information.
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
5216 Montrose Blvd
Houston, TX 77006
