Theaster Gates's 'True Value' Debuts at Fondazione Prada in Milan

Theaster Gates, the Chicago-based artist born in 1973, presents his first Italian solo exhibition, 'True Value,' at Fondazione Prada in Milan. Curated by Elvira Dyangani Ose, the show features recent installations, sculptures from the last five years, and new commissions. The exhibition is split between the Cisterna and the first floor of the Podium, without chronological order. Gates, trained as a potter-sculptor and urban planner, uses found materials from Chicago neighborhoods—such as flooring, tar carts, fire hoses, and sacrificial materials—to create works that explore social responsibility and community values. In the Cisterna, works like 'Black Occult Practice Form #17' (2016) and 'Ground Rules' (2015) combine everyday objects with ritualistic elements and clay. At the Podium, Gates reconstructs an abandoned hardware store, decontextualizing tools and materials to create a poetic yet pragmatic space. The exhibition runs until September 25, 2016.