Viewing Theaster Gates: A Clay Sermon

This magnificent new survey looks at Theaster’s complex investigations into the material and spiritual legacies of clay, while exploring the role the medium has played in craft, labour, community building, racial identity, colonialism and global trade. ‘As a potter you start to learn how to shape the world,’ Gates once declared.

Pottery, sculpture, film and research material spanning the artist’s two-decade career are shown alongside a selection of intriguing historic ceramics from private and public collections, including the V&A. The star of the show is without a doubt A Clay Sermon (2021), a beautifully shot video, which includes archival imagery, gospel music, improvised jazz and footage of the artist sitting at a potter’s wheel in a derelict factory in Montana.

Upstairs, you’ll find brilliant ceramic pieces created by Gates that fuse personal references with African American cultural emblems, among them his large, tarred vessels installed on custom-made plinths of hand-milled wood and stone.

‘Clay has been foundational to Theaster’s intertwined artistic and social practices,’ says chief curator Lydia Lee. ‘This show explores his affinities with potters internationally and the relationships among his various studio, social engagement and urban regeneration projects.’ Add to your autumn to-do list now.