BE AWED BY ARCHITECTURE
The American artist Theaster Gates pays tribute to the beauty of British craftsmanship with this year’s Serpentine Pavilion
This summer, the multidisciplinary artist Theaster Gates will be responsible for one of London’s most prestigious commissions: the annual Serpentine Pavilion in Hyde Park. The Chicago-based creator, who has rock-star status in his home country, is thought of as a custodian of African-American culture and has most recently worked on creating Barack Obama’s presidential library. Drawing on his original interests in ceramics and urban planning, both of which he studied while at Iowa State University, Gates has explored inspirations including the kilns of Stoke-on-Trent and the historic technique of brick manufacturing for the pavilion. The result is ‘Black Chapel’, a vessel-like structure with a single source of light in the roof, akin to the Pantheon in Rome, which he intends as a homage to British craftsmanship – he will enlist builders from York to help assemble the construction.
A respect for making has long had a role in Gates’ life. His father was a roofer, who taught him the importance of doing things correctly. ‘You measure three times and cut once. You have a commitment to excellence, and that’s evident in the history of British craft,’ he says, citing work by the 18th-century potter Josiah Wedgwood. ‘I have a romance for the history of the craft industry.’
With ‘Black Chapel’, Gates wanted to create an environment that felt universally sacred: ‘The chapel is to do with silence and contemplation, but also people coming together. There’s the opportunity to be by yourself, then there’s the opportunity for a congregation.’
In 2013, he co-founded Black Artists Retreat, an annual convention of Black visual artists in Chicago that cultivates the ongoing exchange of ideas. His pavilion feels like an extension of this coming together, although, Gates says, ‘it’s more like a way of imagining soulfulness. I want Black cultural influence and Black intelligence permeating the structure, so that everyone is having a good time and able to reflect on the complexity of race in that space.’
Gates is also involved with the programme of events that will take place within, including performances of poetry and music. ‘For me to have this moment to reflect on the built world, make an art object that’s big enough to live as architecture and think “what does it mean to be an artist?” has been very exciting.’ helena lee
The Serpentine Pavilion ‘Black Chapel’, designed by Theaster Gates, will open on 10 June (www.serpentinegalleries.org).