Theaster Gates: Glorious Robe

The novel forms of clothes in this exhibition, born from the distinct lineages of African and Japanese sartorial cultures, express the “power to move society” that grounds Gates’ practice—from honoring craft cultures to exalting culturally significant archives.

At the core of this project lies Dashikimono, a garment derived from two distinct cultural lineages: the traditional African attire dashiki and the Japanese kimono. The dashiki has its origins in West Africa, where it was historically worn as a symbol of ethnic and community identity. During the 1960s, it became a widely adopted symbol of the Black Power movement in the United States. The kimono, for its part, is a manifestation of Japanese folklore, having been crafted by people ever since the beginning of history, as well as a symbol of the craft culture associated with dyeing and weaving.

The ceramic vessel constitutes another recurring and fundamental form in Gates’s extensive body of work. In much the same way as clothing, pottery is not merely a utilitarian object. Instead, it is imbued with profound significance as a receptacle for history, culture, philosophy, convening and the human spirit. In this exhibition, through attire and the vessel primarily, the body becomes a metaphor for the reweaving of a community’s culture and history through the generational histories of ceremony, craft and ritual.

The exhibition features another important body of work, a series of obi with the history of the Black Liberation Movement woven into them. Dedicated to the memories of the prominent Civil Rights leaders, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Medgar Evers, the sashes are emblazoned with the iconic fist emblem and the year of their murders. The work uses the obi, a traditional component of Japanese attire, as a medium for collective memory and commemoration.

VENUE: Hosoo Gallery (HOSOO FLAGSHIP STORE 2F, 412 Kakimoto-cho Nakagyo-ku Kyoto)
HOURS: 10:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (Admissions close 15 minutes prior to closing time)
CONTACT: +81 (0)75-221-8888